Rise of the Halcyon
by Raynebow of the Rising Sun
Summary: Reylo! Reylo! Reylo! Post TLJ canonverse plot/character driven story with some graphic sexual content. Callbacks and tie-ins to all 8 existing Skywalker movies. Featuring all the living Star Wars heroes and some of the dead! Romance/Action/Adventure/Space Opera!
1. Chapter 1

The faded inks on the age-silvered pages formed a beautiful looping script that frustrated Rey to no end with it's incomprehensibility.

Whether her eyes were as dry as a noon wind on Jakku from having spent the last few hours hunched over these dusty pages or from staring at a datapad screen translating them, she didn't know. What she did know was that the burning in her eyes was becoming almost as uncomfortable as the throbbing soreness in her spine. She flexed her back to try to relieve some it's discomfort and gingerly closed the tome, wincing as the binding crackled.

In the months she had spent working dilligently on the Jedi Histories she'd managed to translate only four of the ancient volumes. Frustratingly, no two books had been written in the same language nor in any language she was familiar with.

Rey had spent many hours, sitting alone in the former crystal-mine-turned-rebel-base storage closet that served as her room, translating the small stack of ancient Jedi manuscripts she had smuggled aboard the Millenium Falcon nearly a year ago. The same texts she had stolen from the Jedi Library before leaving the tiny island where she had spent several weeks getting to know Jedi Master Luke Skywalker... and his former student.

Forcefully, she shoved away the thought of *him* as soon as it entered her mind. The only time she would allow herself to think about *him* was when she was in the base training center working on her hand to hand with the person sized heavy bag or practicing with a variety of melee weapons.

Thinking of him always added an extra bit of determination to her nightly training regime. She knew now what he was capable of and she was highly motivated to learn as much as, get as fast as and as strong as she could before they met again... and she had no doubt they would, soon enough.

Frustrated and distracted, she stood up from the tiny sketch board eisel she was using as a work table and twisted her spine to stretch away the tension there. She bent over, touched the ground and stood back up. Not feeling any less compressed she decided that what she really needed right now was a good mind numbing, body punishing work out.

She wound her way through the labrynthine tunnels and caverns of the Resistance's latest home on some nameless moon in the Hadron system.

Though she spent most of her daytime hours working in her room, she spent her evenings working out until she was far too exhausted to toss and turn at night.

Even exhaustion couldn't guarantee a good night's sleep, though.

Nothing could prevent the dream.

Her days may be a haze of never-ending monotony, but her nights were a swirl of crimson and flames framing a hulking figure dressed in black. The overwhelming odor of charred flesh, burning silk and blood never failed to assault her senses. Her arm would throb from having been pierced by the vibrodagger-like weapon of one of the dead men that littered the polished floor. Everything, from the temperature of the room to the sweat pouring off of both of them and the tone of his voice, were exactly as they had been in life.

Everything… except the last words he'd spoken to her.

i"Do you want to know the truth about your parents? Or have you always known?" His eyes bored into hers as he stalked toward her, "And you've just hidden it away?"

He searched her feelings and said confidently, "You know the truth."

His knowing words battered her heart like physical blows. "Say it." He cajoled, "Say it."

"They were nobody." Rey admitted - letting go of her fantasies for the first time in her lonely, often miserable life.

"They were filthy junk traders." He scoffed snobbishly. "Who sold you off for drinking money."

His cruely stated, "They're dead, in a pauper's grave in the Jakku desert." jerked tears straight down her face.

She flinched and looked away. She didn't want to believe him, but he seemed to be enjoying this too much to be lying.

His face softened slightly and he said with conviction, "You have a part in this story."

Her eyes skipped to his face, she looked closely for signs of the man she had thought him to be meer moments ago.

His black-brown eyes were locked onto hers from the moment she glanced upward.

In a tone that suggested he was stating the obvious, he continued, "You're my everything."

Her breath hitched.

He face became a jumbled mess of warring emotions, "Always were."

She couldn't believe the words coming out of him.

His head jerked slightly from side to side as if he didn't want to admit it and his mouth seemed to be trying to hold back the words, "Everything to me."

She searched his face, unable to imagine that Kylo Ren would say these things to her, but unable to see Ben Solo in his eyes, face, or posture as his hand reached out for her and he implored, "Trust me."

Rey could feel the Force around him churning with what she knew to be the struggle of Ben Solo's light trying to break free from the darkness that the monster Kylo Ren had plunged it into.

Unable to bear the intensity of his stare or the way his lips trembled, she looked down. His shaking hand swam before her as hot tears poured from her eyes.

Her heart twinged painfully but she wasn't even sure if she was looking at Kylo Ren or Ben Solo.

He inched forward his whole being begging her to stay, to never leave him alone, to accept him and love him.

Her eyes darted back to his.

A tear spilled down his cheek.

"Please." he rasped in a tone that was half a sob and half a plea.

Breathtaking pain exploded in her chest as her heart shattered upon hearing the wealth of almost hopeless desperation packed into that one lone syllable.

The sound of blood roared through her ears in time with her pounding heartbeats… Her breath caught in her throat... Her hand reached out... Her fingers inched forward... /i

Suddenly she'd be looking at the raw stone ceiling of her closet room through a pool of tears.

Every night for nearly a year she'd awakened from that same dream… sweating, crying, breathless and heartbroken.

Every. Single. Night.

She forced the memory from her mind and stalked purposefully through the winding tunnel to the base training center. She'd learned not to hold out hope of finding someone to spar with. Not since she'd momentarily lost control and smashed poor Finn in the head so hard with a practice sword that he'd spent three days in the base infirmary.

She found the dimly lit cavern completely empty and sighed her relief. No one was there to eye her warily or comment on the force of her new-found savagery.

Feeling particularly agitated she passed by the racks of practice weapons and went straight for the heavy bag to unleash the fury within her. The big black bag was anchored to the floor on a short tether that prevented it from flying wildly about as she attacked it with every ounce of her anger, disappointment and rage.

She often found herself imagining it was Kylo Ren's big, black shrouded body that she was pummeling and tonight was no different in that reguard.

"Why?" She growled. "Why did you have to be such an insufferable ass?" She kicked the bag squarely in the center.

"Why couldn't you just stop being a jerk?" She punched it once with each bare fist then rammed her knee into the exact spot her kick had landed.

"Damnit Ben!" She spun around and drove her elbow deep into the sand-filled leather. "I trusted you!" She attacked in a flurry of fists, knees, feet, and elbows until she could barely catch a breath and her muscles were trembling from exertion.

Her rage finally somewhat sated and her muscles aching she sank to her knees and wept with all her heart.

An all too familiar tingle danced outward from her spine, raising gooseflesh on her sweat-soaked skin. It had been nearly a year since she'd felt that sensation but it was unmistakable. She wiped her face and lurched to her feet.

"Leave." She demanded, turning to face him. She never wanted to see him again and she made no pretense otherwise.

"You've been crying." He said after a brief pause.

"Go away and stay away!" She said more forcefully.

"You know I can't." His voice was soft. It gave her the impression that he was trying to sooth her. She had no interest in being soothed by him.

"Fine!" She said sharply and stomped away.

His blackclad form materialized in front of her in the doorway of the training center. Her voice vibrated with reignited rage as she stepped around him. "Stay out of my life, Kylo, I never want to see you again!" She spat his name out of her mouth like it was sour.

Anger surged through her as he walked beside her with his eyes seemingly glued to her face. "Kylo?" His voice was laden with bewilderment. "What happened to Ben?"

She snarled. "He was murdered by a monster!"

He jerked to a halt, "You believe that?" His voice was barely more than a whisper, so soft she couldn't be sure if it was a question or a statement.

She whipped around, ready to unload all of her pent up anger on him but growled, "Coward!" instead as he withdrew from the connection.


	2. Chapter 2

The snick of the pen against paper soothed Kylo as nothing else could these days. The eyes staring back at him from the creamy page had been haunting him for nearly a year. He had drawn her a hundred times but he could never draw the pain from her eyes.

In the brief moments he'd spent with her he had commited to memory her every sharp angle and soft curve. He knew the features of her face better than he did his own. He drew her with such exacting attention to detail that he could almost feel her presence. He had a box brimming with ink drawings of her tucked away in the locked bottom drawer of his wardrobe.

He had drawn her looking fierce, as she had when she'd attacked him on Starkiller base. He had drawn her looking vulnerable as she had the night she'd told him about her vision of the mirror. He had drawn her looking angry as she had when she'd called him a monster. He had drawn her hundreds of different ways, but there was always pain in her gaze.

No matter the expression on her face, her eyes were always the same. The same eyes she'd glared down at him with the last time their minds had connected. The pain in them silently accused him of betraying her. The disappointment in them almost palpable. Those eyes despised him almost as much as he despised himself for making them look that way.

He hadn't seen her since the rebel base on Crayt. She had disappeared from his life, but never from his mind, she haunted him. He could almost handle it during the day, but nights were another matter.

In his dream, always the same dream, she'd be standing in front of him amidst the destruction in the red room. He would hear himself say the things he hadn't had to words or the courage to say to her. She would gaze up at him, her soft brown eyes shining with tears. He'd reached out to her and she'd reached back for him. Every night their fingers would almost touch. Every night he would be jolted awake trembling, his eyes swimming in tears, his chest so tight he could barely breathe, just as he'd felt when her fingers had inched toward his before she had ripped her light saber out of his other hand.

The question of whether she would have taken his hand if he had said in reality what he'd said in the dream had him in the training room most nights driving himself to near exhaustion so he wouldn't lie awake half the night pondering it.

He set the delicate pen down next to the drawing and stood up to let the blood flow back into his numb legs.

An electric tingle started in his spine and spread outward in a way he'd been longing to feel for a very long time. He took a deep steadying breath and turned to face her.

"Leave." She snarled without preamble.

He slid a gaze down her body, taking in every detail.

Much of her hair had escaped it's confining tie to either hang wetly past her shoulders or cling to the blotchy red skin of her sweat soaked face and neck.

There were dark smudges beneath her red rimmed eyes and the moisture that clung to her wet lashes looked an awful lot like tears.

Her chest heaved with every breath, her clinging top nearly dripping, even the bit of bare calf between her britches and boots was glistening with sweat.

Blood oozed through the thin skin covering her knuckles, he'd seen that same injury on his own hands enough to know that it came from foregoing sparring gloves while training and he suddenly realized she'd been using a punching bag. Judging by the state of her, he surmised, there must be nothing left of it but dust on the floor.

He suppressed a smile. She was so fierce!

He tore his gaze away from the bead of moisture creeping maddeningly down the side of her throat and met her eyes.

"You've been crying." He hadn't meant to speak that thought aloud and certainly not in such a dazed tone.

"Go away and stay away!" Her eyes nearly burned him with the heat of her anger. The venomous inflection in her tone should have hurt but he was too happy to see her to let a little thing like her obvious fury bring him down.

Looking like she'd sooner tear him apart than talk to him, dripping sweat, hair a mess, hands oozing blood, furiously belligerant... None of that mattered, the important part was that she was here, standing right in front of him making him ache to hold her, to kiss the tears from her eyes, to lick the sweat from her skin...

"You know I can't." His voice sounded pathetic even to his own ears, soft and buttery. He felt heat creeping into his face and hoped she was too infuriated to notice his weakness.

"Fine!" She spat, her eyes flashing in a way that made his chest twinge. She spun to the side and marched away. The sight of her walking away made him have to swallow a sudden excess of moisture in his mouth. She disappeared through the wall of his room.

A heartbeat later she stepped out of thin air and jerked to a stop right in front of him. She flicked a glare up at him and he felt his insides turn to ice as she stepped around him with a vehement, "Stay out of my life, Kylo, I never want to see you again!"

Shocked by hearing her refer to him that way he followed alongside her without even thinking about it. She'd never called him that. Not once. She'd called him Monster, she'd called him Murderous Snake, she'd even called him a creature in a mask and those had hurt… but hearing her call him Kylo like it was a curse hurt worse than having his face laid open by her light saber. "Kylo? What happened to Ben?" He asked in confusion then regretted asking the question more than he regretted a great many things when she snarled accusingly, "He was murdered by a monster!"

He'd suspected she'd be angry when next they met but he had never imagined she could possibly think of him that way after what had passed between them a year ago.

"You believe that." He could actually feel a physical pain shooting through his chest, sharp and hot like a blaster bolt. Her profile swam before his eyes for only a heartbeat as he reeled away from force of anger that blasted toward him through his link to her mind.

A wave of pain crashed against him, dropping him to his knees. He could still feel her rage as if she were right next to him.

It occured to him that every time they'd spoken he'd managed to say something that had driven a wedge between them. The man that was somehow both -and yet somehow neither- Kylo Ren and Ben Solo was assaulted by the fear that he may have already driven them too far apart to ever wind up together.


	3. Chapter 3

One week later…

Rey jerked awake with tears pouring down the sides of her face into her hair, her heart pounding and her lungs gasping for air.

The dream never failed to exact it's toll.

Sitting up, she wiped at the tears with trembling fingers, turned sideways, dropped her feet to the cold stone floor and scrubbed her face with both hands. The scabs covering her much abused knuckles pulled painfully and one broke open, she stared at the trickle of blood running down the middle finger of her right hand. Watched it gather on the tip of her chewed up nail until it formed a single fat droplet that splattered on the floor between her bare feet.

The sudden tingle in her spine was the very last thing she wanted to feel right now. Her eyes made it only as far as a crisp white sheet draped untidily across his lap before bouncing back to the blood on the floor. She forced her eyes to remain on that lone drop between her feet though his bare toes were scant inches from hers. "This really isn't a good time." She said thickly around the lump in her throat. She had no desire to speak to him under the best of circumstances and this was certainly not one of those.

"I couldn't agree more." He sounded every bit as reluctant as she felt.

Silence stretched uncomfortably between them as she did her best to recover herself from the dream. After what seemed like an enternity his curiously husky voice startled her by asking, "Bad dreams?"

"Just one." She admitted, wondering if he could read her mind from where ever he was.

"Me, too." She couldn't stand to hear the softness in his tone, it was too intimate, too devastating, she had change the subject.

"Why is this happening again?" She tried to summon her fury but she found herself too distracted by the situation to locate the gnawing anger that his presence should have ignited. "Why now?" Her head refused to wrap itself around the fact that she was, for all intents and purposes, sitting inches away from him while neither of them had on much more than a scrap of white cloth.

"I don't know." The low, husky, intimate quality of his voice sent tingling chills dancing across her skin when he added, "Look at me, Rey."

When their minds had connected unexpectedly, a year ago, the sight of his shirtless back, shoulders, chest, and arms had stolen her breath away, but this - his near total nudity - was so much worse than that. The sight stole her ability to breathe, speak, and think. His naked proximity set her insides to fluttering erratically, her heart to pounding and her bones to melting.

"There has to be a reason." His heavy lidded gaze was just as soft as his voice. He tilted his head slightly. "What was your dream about?"

Her eyes dropped away from his to an absolutely fascinating thin line of dark hair that began just below his navel and disappeared beneath the edge of the sheet in his lap. She shook her head, unable to speak, unwilling to tell him anything.

"Mine was about you." He said with an air of confession. "It's always about you."

"Always?" She nearly choked on the word as her eyes shot back to his.

"Always. Everynight. The same dream." He said haltingly and leaned forward, watching her like a hungry predator. "About you."

"The red room." She whispered and saw the ripple of shock that crossed his face. "Why?" She didn't want to ask but she had to know, "Why didn't you choose me?"

"I did choose you." His lie sounded so sincere she could almost believe that he believed it. "I chose you over Snoke. I chose you over the darkside. I chose you over everything."

"You chose to replace Snoke!" She said with a welcomed burst of anger lending strength to her voice. "You chose to allow your own mother to be shot at when you could have stopped it! You chose the First Order over the lives of everyone who ever loved you!" She finished, hating the brittle sound of her own voice and the tears stinging her eyes.

"Like Luke?" He asked, his voice carrying an edge of anger to match her own. "He tried to murder me!" He scooted forward, his knees and feet coming to rest on the outsides of hers. "My mother? She ignored me my whole life and then sent me away just when I needed her most!" His narrowed eyes sparkled dangerously, "Or my father maybe? A man I've seen maybe five times since the age of ten?" He leaned in so close she could feel his hot breath against her face. "They never loved me." He said bitterly. "Nobody has ever cared about me."

"That's not true!" She snapped at him. "Your mother always loved you! Your father! Your uncle! They died trying to save you! I risked my life trying to save you!"

"Why?" He asked, his eyes searching hers. "Why did you do that?"

"You know why I did it." She said feeling accutely uncomfortable.

"Say it." He sounded almost beathless.

She clamped her jaw shut, refusing to comply.

"Say it, Rey. Why did you come to the Supremacy? Say it." He demanded with a hint of something akin to desperation in his voice.

She shook her head and remained silent. He stared at her, his face so impassive might have been carved in stone if not for the intensity of his gaze. Long minutes passed while he stared her down, his utter stillness a demand as loud as any shout. She hated the way it made her feel to have him staring at her like this.

"I've loved you from the start." He blurted, shattering the silence.

"What?" She yelped and jerked backwards reflexively.

He took a deep audible breath and said, "The forest on Takodona, you tried to shoot me, remember?" His lips twisted in a way that was not quite a smirk. "You were so fierce! Not a speck of fear in you! If not for the Force you'd have killed me a dozen times over. When I saw into your mind, I knew then… I had to have you… it was all I could do not to fall at your feet and beg you to love me." He reached one trembling hand towards her face.

"That's not true." She said breathlessly. Leaning away from his hand, she clamped his wrist firmly to stop it's progress. "I was terrified on Takodona." She said, pushing his hand back towards him and took an unsteady breath.

His face crestfallen, his shoulders slumped in defeat, he sighed, "Only after I froze you."

"No, I was terrified from the moment I felt you nearby." She insisted. "I could feel danger and rage and pain rolling off of you like a hot wind... I thought you meant to murder me." She couldn't bear to watch the way his face was contorting as he attempted to regain control of himself.

Dropping her eyes, she found that lonely drop of blood between her feet and stared at it as she continued to speak. "When I woke up in those restraints, and saw you… I thought you meant to torture me." She paused to take a deep breath before plunging ahead. "Everytime I was near you I expected to die screaming."

"I was frightened of you but I was drawn to you. I saw you murder Han Solo, a man I admired, but i felt your pain even more keenly than my own." Her eyes flicked upwards to his. "Then after… in the woods… you nearly killed the only friend I'd ever had. I wanted to kill you. I needed to end your reign of terror." She looked back down at the blood on the floor. "But there was something holding me back." Her voice was growing more unsteady by the moment. "I was relieved when the ground split open between us."

"I had so many nightmares about that fight." She could feel a prickle in her eyes and paused to steady herself.

"When this," she waved her hand back and forth between them. "This mind thing started happening I never imagined I'd come to see you so differently." She looked up, into his eyes. "You were Kylo Ren, the most terrifying creature in the galaxy… and then you weren't…"

She frowned, and looked away from him before continuing, "I thought I'd found this whole other person, buried down deep inside of you."

Her eyes took on a far away softness. "Someone real and solid… Who didn't just tell me I wasn't alone but made me really believe it."

Her voice went raw and throaty. "Someone who so understood how lonely I was that he had tears in his eyes just to hear me speak of it."

She rubbed her thumb absently across her tingling fingertips and continued, "Someone who cared so much that his hand shook just to be reaching for mine."

She looked back into his eyes, "It broke my heart to think of how he'd been driven into an impossible choice between the Darkside that welcomed him or the Lightside that feared him."

Her broken heart leapt into her throat, nearly choking her. "I thought that if I could just show him how much I cared, he would surely turn back to the light. I was so sure that he was worth dying for that I risked everything to try to save him."

Her eyes sharpened, her face darkened, "I nearly died trying to save him," voice cracking like a whip she spat, "from you!"

"But there was no saving him, was there?" She seethed. "Because he never existed, he was nothing but a cruel illusion that you used to seduce me!" The wound from that was still a raw and bleeding thing.

"When you were in my head you saw how lost I was, how much I needed to have someone give a damn! And you used that to manipulate me! I was just a tool for you to use to usurp power from your master!" She threw the last word at him like a hate grenade.

"You never cared about me at all!" She accused. "You were just using me the whole time!"

Her whole body vibrated with hatred, "And you have the nerve to sit here and tell me this pack of lies? Do you honestly expect me to believe that you love me?"

"You? Kylo Ren?" She scoffed then snarled, "You really are a monster!"

With no concious thought to do it her hand snaked out and slapped him across the face so hard it stung her fingertips almost numb.

In an instant she was alone in her room again.


	4. Chapter 4

His eyes flicked open in the darkness of his room aboard the First Order's brand new flagship, Vader's Vengeance.

As always, it was the dream that had awakened him. He sat up and swung his legs off of the edge of the plush matress. Being Supreme Leader had it's perks, but unfortunately dreamless sleep wasn't one of them.

Reaching out with the Force he flicked on the small reading lamp next to his bed.

He wiped the tears off of his face and looked at his trembling hands. The dream never left him anything but devastated and tonight was no exception. The pain in his chest was just as fresh and raw as it had ever been. The pressure constricting his lungs was making breathing a chore. It was a chore he didn't actually want to be doing at the moment.

He almost didn't notice the tingle in his spine amidst his other pains and complaints. In a heartbeat the pressure in his chest released allowing him to take in a gulp of air as he jerked the bedsheet haphazardly over his lap. His darting eyes spotted her the moment she appeared.

"This really isn't a good time." She said without preamble.

He could tell by the hoarseness of her voice, her tousled hair, and rumpled bed clothes that she had just awakened, too... If you could call the clinging, whispy scrap of white linen she was wearing bed clothes.

He had to swallow his heart before he could speak.

Reluctantly dragging his eyes away from her maddeningly parted bare thighs he groaned, "I couldn't agree more."

He couldn't help staring at her. She, in that nighty, was without a doubt the most amazing thing he'd ever seen in his life. Held up by two thin straps, it had a rounded neckline that bared most of her chest. The thin material did more to draw his eyes to the twin, slightly darker, spots beneath than to hide them. And the way it draped across her thighs! Dear Force! It was so short that if she spread her legs even another inch he'd be able to see far more of her than he'd ever bothered to hope for.

"Bad dreams?" He rasped when he finally remembered how to speak again.

"Just one." She said, staring at the floor between her feet.

He glanced at the floor and noticed a tiny red splatter. It bothered him that he hadn't noticed the damaged state of her knuckles until then.

He frowned at her hands. She'd been beating the hell out of her punching bag again. A part of him wanted to scold her for not using sparring gloves. Instead of doing so, however, he found himself nearly whispering, "Me, too."

"Why is this happening again?" Her voice sounded almost as desperate as he was feeling. "Why now?"

He had pondered that very question so many times, yet he still had no answer. "I don't know." He admitted.

As much as he enjoyed the freedom to stare, and he thoroughly did, he needed to see those soft brown eyes of hers. "Look at me, Rey."

She took a ragged, audible breath and her eyes flicked from the floor to his face. She didn't seem surprised by his state of undress. She must have looked at him already, he realized. He hoped she hadn't caught him gawking.

Putting his errant thoughts aside he concentrated on the question. "There has to be a reason." A sneaking suspicion entered his mind. "What was your dream about?"

She shook her head slightly, refusing to answer.

"Mine was about you." He confessed, suddenly overcome by the need to tell her about the dream. "It's always about you."

"Always?" She nearly choked on the word.

"Always." He repeated, noting that her breathing was becoming more harsh with each exhale. "Everynight." Her lips parted.

"The same dream." Her eyes widened.

He leaned forward. "About you."

"The red room." She whispered and his heart skipped a beat.

"Why?" She asked sharply even as her eyes welled up with tears. "Why didn't you choose me?"

"I did choose you." He said, devastated that she didn't seem to understand that.

"I chose you over Snoke." He could never regret doing so, no matter how angry she was at him.

"I chose you over the dark side." It was true. In the past year he'd even learned to tamp down his hatred for General Hux... enough to not act on the nearly constant urge to torment the pissant for the sheer enjoyment of it, anyway.

"I chose you over everything." The vehemence in his voice was too telling, but he didn't care anymore. He wanted her know that she had hurt him.

"You chose to replace Snoke!" She snapped. "You chose to allow your own mother to be shot at when you could have stopped it!"

He hadn't known his mother was alive when he'd declined to stop firing at the rebel shuttles. He didn't even find out for several months afterward that she had survived the vacuum of space.

"You chose the First Order over everyone who ever loved you!" She looked and sounded as heartbroken about that as he was at hearing the heartbreak in her voice.

"Like Luke?" He sneered, unable to keep the anger out of his voice. "He tried to murder me!"

He scooted forward, looked hard into her eyes from so close he could see the gold flecks in her irises even in the low light being cast by his bedside lamp. "My mother? She ignored me my whole life and then sent me away when I needed her the most!" He squinted at her, "Or my father maybe? A man I've seen maybe five times since the age of ten?" He leaned in so close their noses almost touched. "They never loved me." he scoffed bitterly. "Nobody has ever cared about me."

"That's not true!" She snapped at him. "Your mother always loved you! Your father! Your uncle! They died trying to save you! I risked my life trying to save you!" She finished accusingly.

He'd wondered about that so many times he couldn't help but leap at the chance to ask, "Why?" He searched her face for clues, once again frustrated at not being able to use the Force to search her mind from across the galaxy. "Why did you do that?"

"You know why I did it." She mumbled.

"Say it." He sounded a bit breathless, even to his own ears.

A muscle in her jaw twitched and she shook her head almost imperceptibly.

"Say it, Rey. Why did you come to the Supremacy?" He needed so badly to hear her say that she cared about him. Even if she only cared a tiny bit, it would be enough, he told himself. "Say it."

She shook her head mulishly and remained silent.

He stared at her, willing himself to wait for her to say it. Long minutes passed while he stared her down. Long minutes during which he hardly dared breathe. He didn't want to rush her but eventually it became clear that she intended to wait him out.

After waiting so long he was slightly dizzy from lack of air, he decided that if she wouldn't say it, he would. "I've loved you from the start." He would have preferred to say it a little slower, with a lot more style, but as soon as he'd opened his mouth the words had come bursting out. He felt his face redden.

"What?" She yelped and flinched away from him.

That wasn't the reaction he was hoping for.

He decided to try it again and took a deep breath to steady himself. "The forest on Takodona, you tried to shoot me, remember?" He fought hard to suppress a grin at the memory. "You were so fierce! Not a speck of fear in you!" He'd followed her Force signature that day, literally feeling his way toward her. She had been so determined to protect her rebel friends, that it never crossed her mind to fear for her own safety… not until he'd frozen her anyway. "If not for the Force you'd have killed me a dozen times over." He took a ragged breath.

She'd been magnificent in her courage. Anyone else might have been terrified at being stalked through the woods by Kylo Ren, Jedi Knight of the First Order, but not her. She'd only been feeling an overwhelming desire to kill him that he could feel from a hundred meters away.

"When I saw into your mind, I knew then… I had to have you… it was all I could do not to fall at your feet and beg you to love me." The depth of her loneliness had touched something deep inside of him. The way she fought his mind probe with nothing but raw, untrained power and an almost savage ferocity had intrigued him. When she'd broken into his mind he had been awe-struck.

She was a potent combination of softness and strength all wrapped up in such a lovely package that he had been drawn to her like a magnet. He still was.

He reached out, his fingers tingling with the need to caress the tears from her face… before he could fulfill that need she intercepted his hand and shoved it away from her.

He struggled to swallow his disappointment.

"That's not true." She said almost as breathlessly as he felt. "I was terrified on Takodona." She took an unsteady breath.

"Only after I froze you." He countered, feeling almost too deflated to sit upright.

"No, I was terrified from the moment I felt you nearby." She said stubbornly.

He opened his mouth to argue but she cut him off by continuing to speak.

"I could feel danger and pain and rage rolling off of you like a hot wind. I thought you meant to murder me."

In truth he had meant to kill her and take the droid, but that intention was long gone by the time he had found her. It was not easy to admit, even to himself, that he had at one time intended to kill her… before he had gotten close enough to feel her.

"When I woke up in those restraints, and saw you… I thought you meant to torture me. Everytime I was near you I expected to die screaming." She paused to take a deep breath.

He wanted her to stop, her words were cutting him to the quick, but he could feel that he needed to hear her out, so he held his silence.

"I was frightened of you but I was drawn to you." She said to his belly.

He wished she didn't sound so unhappy about that last part, but it was understandable, he supposed.

"I saw you murder Han Solo, a man I admired, but I felt your pain even more keenly than my own." Her voice became raw.

Killing Han Solo was supposed to have ended his internal struggle against the light, according to his master, but all the deed had done was hurt him far more intensely than anything his father had ever done or neglected to do.

"Then after… in the woods…" Her eyes flicked upwards to meet his. "You nearly killed the only friend I'd ever had. I wanted to kill you... I needed to end your reign of terror." She looked away again.

"But there was something holding me back... I was relieved when the ground split open between us."

He had been, too. He hadn't been ready to die. Not when he'd just discovered how powerful she was… and how much he wanted her.

"I had so many nightmares about that fight." Her eyes welled with fresh tears, but she blinked them away.

He had woken up screaming, more than once, from dreams that he had lost control and killed her during that duel.

"When this," Rey waved her hand back and forth between them. "mind thing started happening I never imagined I'd come to see you so differently."

His heart started pounding.

She was getting closer to the point, he could feel it even across the galaxy.

She looked up, into his eyes. "You were Kylo Ren, the most terrifying creature in the galaxy… and then… you weren't."

She looked away, past his shoulder, "I thought I'd found this whole other person, down deep inside of you." She took a shaky breath and continued in a voice so soft and warm it made his skin tingle. "Someone real and solid… Who didn't just tell me I wasn't alone but made me really believe it."

He saw a hunger creep into her gaze that had nothing to do with any sort of physical need. "Someone who so understood how lonely I was that he had tears in his eyes just to hear me speak of it."

Rey's eyes dropped to her lap and his followed to find her lightly skimming her thumb across her fingertips, "Someone who cared so much that his hand shook just to be reaching for mine."

She looked back at him then, "It broke my heart to think of how he'd been driven into an impossible choice between the Darkside that welcomed him or the Lightside that feared him."

Her broken heart leapt into her eyes, nearly choking him. "I thought that if I could just show him how much I cared, he would surely turn back to the light. I was so sure that he was worth dying for that I risked everything to try to save him."

She'd said it! He wasn't sure she would, but she had! His heart began to pound in his chest so hard he thought she might have seen it if she had looked there.

Her voice lost it's softness, "I nearly died trying to save him…" His pounding heart nearly stopped at the hatred in her next words. "From you."

The look she gave him then was one of pure loathing. Her voice grew louder and her eyes seethed with hatred.

"But there was no saving him, was there?" She seethed. "Because he never existed, he was nothing but a cruel illusion you used to seduce me!" The betrayal on her face was as heartbreaking as it was unfounded. "When you were in my head you saw how lost I was, how much I needed to have someone give a damn! And you used that to manipulate me! I was just a tool for you to use to usurp power from your master! You never cared about me at all! You were just using me the whole time!"

He would have protested, set her straight about all of it, but he was taken aback by the golden glow that replaced the soft brown of her eyes.

"And you have the nerve to sit here and tell me this pack of lies? Do you honestly expect me to believe that you love me?" The outright hatred in her face and voice was more painful to him than anything he could even imagine. "You? Kylo Ren?" She snarled, "You really are a monster!"

The raw hatred in her words, the glowing yellow of her eyes, shocked him far worse than the sharp sting of her slap.

In an instant she was gone.

He was shaken to his very core. He knew what the glowing yellow eyes meant, Snoke had told him. He'd stared into the mirror a thousand times, trying to will his own eyes to look that way. Seeing them in her face, though, was too much to bear. She was all that was good and right in the universe.

He had to fix this.

He had to fix this right now!


	5. Chapter 5

Rey paced back and forth, her mind a seething pit of rage.

'The nerve of that man!' She thought furiously. Her fists clenching spasmodically as she paced. 'After what he did to me!'

A tiny voice echoed from the distant recesses of her mind, 'He saved you.'

'He didn't kill me, that's not the same as saving me!' She thought towards it, angrily.

The voice grew stronger. 'You love him.'

'I loved Ben, but Ben wasn't real!' She argued. 'Kylo Ren only pretended to be him because he wanted me as an apprentice!'

'There is no distinction between Ben Solo and Kylo Ren.' It said, sounding as loud and strong as if it were talking to her from across the room. She was startled to realize it was a man's voice. She could feel his presence slip into her mind. 'He is an impulsive fool but your love can save him.'

'I already tried that! It didn't work.' She thought bitterly.

'Try again.' The voice suggested.

'Who are you?' She knew that he wasn't a figment of her imagination.

'Who I am is not important.' He replied and she could feel him trying to wave the question out of her mind.

'It's important to me.' She insisted stubbornly, refusing to let him dismiss her curiousity.

He stopped trying to manipulate her mind and said almost gently. 'Knowing my name would only disturb you further.'

She could feel his presence in her mind so strongly that it made her neck hairs stand on end.

'Why would knowing who you are disturb me?' She said coaxingly. 'It's not like you're Darth Vader or anything.'

The voice made no reply but she could feel his amusement as it washed over. 'Are you?' Even her mind voice came out as a squeak.

'Not anymore.' He answered after a tense moment of silence and then she felt him leave her mind.

His sudden withdraw left her dizzy and nauseated, she stumbled over to her cot and sat down heavily. The room spun like the images in a kaliedescope and she was pretty sure she was about to faint for the first time in her life. It took her a moment to realize that she was hyperventilating, but once she did she concentrated on controlling her breathing.

Darth Vader had been inside her mind! She could barely believe it. That fact both shocked and terrified her.

When the shock began to wear off she noticed a wide path of bloody footprints across the center of her room. She gasped and looked at her hands. They were bleeding profusely.

Knowing that she needed medical attention Rey put on a robe and padded barefoot to the base infirmary. The bright lights inside hurt her eyes after the dimness of both her room and the corridor. She scanned the room, looking for a med-tech. Not finding one she reached out with her feelings. She could feel that she wasn't alone in the cavern, so she called out. "Anybody here? I need assistance."

An elderly mon calamarian stepped out from behind a privacy screen where Rey could feel the faint signature of a nearly dead bith.

"I'm sorry to intrude." She apologized. "I need help with these." She held her hands up, knuckle side out

"My goodness!" The apparently female alien said jovially. "That looks painfull!"

Rey wondered about her good mood but decided not to ask. "More annoying than painful." She grimaced. "Can you make it so I can get back to practicing my hand to hand?"

"I can make it so you aren't dripping blood everywhere, but only time and bacta will heal those injuries." The reddish brown fishlike creature clucked it's tongue disapprovingly. "You should use hand protection anytime you're going to strike something. Human hands are delicate things." It scolded her.

"I will from now on." Rey promised.

The mon calamari took a jar of pink liquid from a shelf and motioned her to sit next to a low table. "Stick your hands in here and keep them there until you can move your fingers without pain." It said, removing the lid and sitting the jar on the table. "It will take a while."

The liquid stung like fire at first, but Rey was grateful for the pain and for the company of the chipper med-tech who's name she learned, was Krystil.

"Beg pardon, I'm not an expert in humans," Krystil said after a little while. "Are your eyes supposed to change color like that? Or do you need a thorough exam?"

"What do you mean?" Rey asked, confused. Her eyes had always been light brown.

"They were yellow until a moment ago and now they're brown." Krystil tilted her head inquiringly.

"It must be the lighting, my eyes have always been brown." Rey shrugged dismissively.

"Hmm, the lighting… perhaps." Came the dubious reply. After that Krystil busied herself with the nearly dead bith.

Rey dismissed the doubt in the med-tech's voice. She'd met alot of people in her life but none with yellow eyes. It had to be the lighting.

Two hours later, Rey flexed her hands in the viscous liquid. "The pain is gone." She called out.

"Good, good. Just keep your hands in there while I get some bandages." Krystil instructed briskly as she stepped out from behind the screen at the bith's bedside.

Krystil bustled over with a bagfull of gauzey bandages in one hand and a big tube of ointment in the other.

"Pull your hands out straight up and keep them over the jar until they stop dripping. Every drop of this stuff is precious." Krystil instructed as she laid out the bandages in organized little stacks.

Rey was startled. "You're going to reuse this after I had my bloody hands in it?"

Krystil made a squishing sound that might have been a laugh. "It will be filtered and sterilized."

"Oh!" Rey relaxed a bit. "That's a relief."

Rey watched in silence as Krystil smeared a thick cream on her raw knuckles and bandaged her hands with professional efficiency.

"Don't hit anything for at least a few days." Krystil admonished. "Come back for a bandage change tomorrow."

"Thank you." Rey said with heartfelt gratitude, then returned to her room.

The night was mostly wasted, her hands out of commission, her mind too preoccupied to even attempt translating so she paced and she thought back over her midnight visitors and all that they had said to her.

Kylo Ren, she refused to think of him as Ben, had sounded so sincere when he'd declared that he loved her that she began to doubt her own doubts about him… especially in light of his grandfather nearly immediately contacting her from beyond the grave.

She paced and she pondered, pondered and paced.

Why would Darth Vader care if she loved or hated Kylo Ren? What was it to him? Why bother coming to her at all unless he too was trying to manipulate her? But why would a ghost want to manipulate anybody?

She had so many questions about tonight and not a single answer to them, only frustration.


	6. Chapter 6

Across the galaxy…

He didn't bother to check the time, he didn't care what time it was. He dressed quickly then finger combed his hair as he hurried to the bridge of the Vader's Vengeance. "General Hux," he barked as he entered the bridge. "Assemble my fleet."

The ginger General jumped to his feet and snapped a crisp salute. "How many ships would you like, Supreme Leader?"

"All of them!" He ordered. "Every ship within 4 hours of here with a hyperdrive."

General Hux sneered at him. "My Lord, it's the middle of the night…" the man's words ended in a gagging sound as his throat constricted from Kylo Ren's Force Choke.

"Do I look like I care what time it is?" He squeezed a little tighter then released his grasp. "Get my ships here, General. Right now."

General Hux choked and retched for a moment before croaking out an order to the coms officer, a small balding man named Perez.

With his ships in motion he returned to his quarters to come up with an actual plan for what he wanted to do. It would be four hours before the bulk of his fleet was assembled, that was all the time he had to come up with something. He sat down at his desk and tapped away on the screen of his datapad for two solid hours before he was happy with his work.

He pushed a tiny datadisc into the port on the side of the little device that had inadequately replaced the tech in his long destroyed helmet and copied a file over, then tucked that disc away in his pocket and replaced it with a fresh one. He put a second file onto the fresh disc and left it in the machine.

Satisfied with his plan and preparations he was surprized to realize that he had over an hour left to kill. He'd go insane if he didn't get rid of this nervous energy. His jangled nerves needed the soothing scratch of pen on paper, he decided, and pulled a small square of creamy vellum out of his desk drawer to pass the time with.

Her portrait flowed from his pen as if by magic. The image was of her as he'd seen her tonight, in that ridiculously alluring nighty. Her eyes as soft as they'd been when she'd described how she'd thought of him, just before he'd derailed everything, stared up at him from the page in record time. He searched those eyes for the ever present pain but didn't detect a trace of it.

He sat back with a satisfied smile.

He'd always been critical of his own drawings, but this one was so real he could almost smell the warmth of her skin. He stared at it and promised himself he'd see her like that again, even if it killed him. 'And it just might,' he thought ruefully.

That was a risk he was willing to take.

A buzzing sound broke into his reverie. He glanced at the panel near the door and saw a blinking red light. It was time to return to the bridge. He tucked the portrait he'd just drawn inside his overshirt, over his heart, and tapped the button with the Force.

"All of the ships in the area are assembled, My Lord." Came Hux's disgruntled voice through the tiny speaker built into the panel. Without answering he tapped the button again severing the connection to the bridge, grabbed his datapad and set off to take command of his mission.

"General," He said tearsly once he'd clear the doorway onto the bridge. "I am taking command of this ship and this fleet, you are dismissed."

"My Lord?" General Hux made that normally respectful title sound like a sneer.

The man annoyed him to no end, which is why he'd relegated him to night duty shortly after the attack on Crayt. "Leave my bridge." He growled pointing at the door.

Hux bowed stiffly and walked away even more stiffly.

He caught the coms officer's eye and said, "Open a channel to the fleet."

"Yes, My Lord." Officer Perez hit a few buttons then looked at him and nodded.

"This is Supreme Leader Kylo Ren." He said, projecting as much authority into his voice as possible. "Until further notice this fleet is to be considered a nonviolent diplomatic convoy. Under no circumstances is any ship in this fleet to fire a shot without my personal authorization. " He paused a second to gather his thoughts. "I am aware that diplomacy isn't something we do and that many of you might be unhappy about this mission so I am ordering all First Order personnel to be on guard against any possible mutiny. The reward for preventing or quelling an insurrection is immediate promotion to the rank of General." He felt it prudent to remind them, "No matter what happens when we reach our destination, do not fire a weapon without a direct order from me. Stand by for rendevous coordinates." He nodded to Perez, who immediately closed the channel.

"Set a course," He ordered, stepping closer to the plasteel viewing panel at the front of the bridge. He closed his eyes, rubbed his chest, and reached out searching the cosmos for a trace of her. "Thirty parsecs in that direction." He pointed toward a distant star. "Once you have the coordinates, send them to the rest of the fleet." He could hear the rapid tapping of fingers on the navcomputer panel.

He turned to face the Bridge Captain, an older gentleman with a kind, square face, named Glissando . "How many ships do we have?"

"Two hundred, seven ships, My Lord." Glissando replied promptly.

He turned back to the viewscreen and automatically supressed a smile. "Excellent." He said dismissively.

"Coordinates sent, Supreme Leader." Perez called from the coms station.

"Take us there." He said, taking his seat.

When the ship snapped back into real space several hours later he jumped out of his seat and pointed out a new direction. "Thirty parsecs." He ordered then sat back down to tap away on the screen of his datapad. He'd had this idea in mind for quite some time, and he used the time between hops to hammer out the details and refine his proposal.

It took the better part of three days, hopping through space, but he could feel that she was close by. He rubbed his chest absently for the hundredth time in the past three days. "Hold here." He ordered, too tired to make the final jump. "Order a stand down, ten hours." He'd give her that much time to come to him before he went in after her. "Call any ships in that range to join us. I'll be in my quarters." He left without waiting for confirmation.

In his room he took the drawing out, laid it gingerly on his desk next to his datapad, gazed at it briefly then laid down, boots and all, and fell into an immediate and deep, dreamless sleep.

He awoke several hours later, confused by the lack of dreams. He hadn't slept like that in so long that it worried him to have done it now. He showered and shaved quickly, dressed even more quickly then scarfed down a quick and tasteless meal from his in-chamber replicater. He preferred fresh food, but he had too much to do to waste the time waiting for it. Throwing the empty cartons away he went back into his personal refresher and cleaned his teeth, it wouldn't do to confront Rey with bed-breath, before heading for the bridge

"How many more ships have shown up?" He asked, as soon as he entered onto the bridge.

Captain Glissando snapped a salute and answered promptly. "One hundred, twenty additional ships have joined the fleet, My Lord."

Three hundred, twenty seven ships. 'That should do it,' he thought to himself. "Bring up a holo of this quadrant." He ordered. As the map appeared he walked over to where a tiny dot blinked out the location of the fleet. He studied the various nearby systems, reaching out to each one, searching for her. After an hour he felt her, she was less than a quarter parsec away, in the Hadron system. "Hadron!" He barked, startling the crew. "Isolate it." The Hadron system enlarged to cover the entire map area. He probed each planet and moon until he was sure he'd found her. "There! That moon! Magnify and enhance!" He could hardly contain his excitement.

The holo changed it's shape, magnifying until the moon in question was the size of his head. "Send the coordinants of this moon to the fleet, remind them of what I said about mutiny." He swapped the discs from his pocket and datapad, tapped on the screen for a moment then ejected the disc. "Sub this into the message." He flicked the disc toward the coms station and used the Force to bring it to a hover in front of Perez's face.

He rubbed his chest, comforted by the drawing tucked away there. He really, really hoped that this worked out as he planned.


	7. Chapter 7

Rey woke up groggy and confused. She lay frowning at the ceiling, unable to figure out why she felt such foreboding over not having been jolted awake in tears. It wasn't that she wanted to have the dream, she definitely did not, she just couldn't understand why she hadn't.

She sat up and cast a nervous glance around, the fine hairs on the back of her neck prickled with the eerie feeling of being hunted. She couldn't shake the feeling even when a quick scan of the area with her feelings confirmed that she was alone in the tiny room.

Shouts echoed down the corridor outside of her room followed by the pounding boots of several people running past her door. Just as she reached her feet her door burst open and Finn stuck his head in. "Rey! Grab your stuff! We're evacuating the base!" He said hurriedly, barely looking at her, his attention more fully focused in the corridor as people jostled past him.

"Evacuating the base?" She repeated as a really bad feeling twisted through her guts.

"They found us!" He rushed off, slamming the low-tech door behind him.

Rey didn't have to ask who 'they' were... there was only one 'they' that could cause this amount of panic in such a fortified base. Guilt slipped through her veins, she knew without a doubt that their rekindled connection had lead him straight to her.

She had been training for this day all year long, but now that it was here she felt completely unprepared. She dressed hastily without even bothering to look at what she was putting on, then threw her meager belongings into a large dufflebag and sprinted to the main control room.

In the large cave that served as central command for the entire Resistance, the scene that greeted her eyes was one of total chaos. Rebels of all ranks were rushing to and fro, packing or destroying equipment left, right, and center. In the midst of the maelstrom stood Poe Dameron barking orders like the General he had recently become.

"Poe!" She called and hurried over to speak with him with Finn hot on her heels. "What's going on?"

He glanced at her then at Finn, frowned and in a low voice he said, "A routine patrol just spotted about half of the First Order fleet assembled less than a parsec from here. Over three hundred ships practically on our doorstep."

She gaped at him. "Three hundred ships? Where did they come from? How long have they been here?" Her mind swirled dizzily, throwing questions at her too fast to ask them all verbally.

"Unknown," He growled his frustration. "It's been twelve hours since anyone's been by that way." Poe's frown deepened mightily.

Her brain could barely process the idea of a fleet that size. "Has he tried to contact you? Sent any demands?"

Poe didn't need to ask who, only one person could be at the head of that fleet. "No, but he brought enough firepower to turn this whole rock into dust. I doubt he's come to negotiate our surrender." He said grimly.

"Where is he?" She asked, formulating a plan in the back of her mind. It wasn't a good plan, but it was all she could come up with on such short notice.

Poe pointed to a section of space on the miniholo map that was open above the huge table in the center of the room. "This flashing red dot is his fleet. This blue dot is us." The dots were frighteningly close together. "When he makes his move we'll either be gone already or dead very quickly."

"I have to go to him." She was absolutely certain about that, whether or not she'd be alive long enough to actually talk to him she was less certain of.

"What? No! That's suicide!" Poe said sharply. "Finn! Help me out here, buddy!"

Finn pleaded with her. "You can't go! We need you! The Resistance needs you!"

"How long until the evacuation is complete?" She asked, ignoring the plea in her friend's eyes and voice.

"About an hour." Poe responded. "If we don't bother with the small stuff."

"And how long will it take him to get here when he decides to move?" She arched a brow at him.

"About ten minutes." He said as quietly as the chaos would allow.

"I'm going." She insisted. "I'll buy you an hour."

"No way, you're too important." Poe argued. "You're the last Jedi, besides him, the Resistance doesn't stand a chance without you!"

"If I don't go, there wont be a Resistance." She said stepping a little closer. "This is about me. He found us because of me. He'll keep finding us because of me." She took a breath to steady herself before continuing earnestly, "If I don't go to him, he'll kill every one of you just to get to me. If it's my destiny to die today I can face that but I refuse to take all of you down with me."

Poe looked at her as if seeing her for the first time… it made her uncomfortable.

Finn placed his hands on her shoulders and said seriously, "Rey, if you go to him, he will kill you! You don't even have a weapon!"

She gave him a weak attempt at a comforting smile. "He'll want to talk to me before he kills me." She said confidently, then added, "And I don't think he'll be able to kill me face to face."

"What makes you think that?" Finn shook her sharply by the shoulders. "What in your entire history of knowing him makes you think he wouldn't carve you up and blast the pieces into space just for the fun of it?"

She was slightly ashamed to admit, "He's in love with me."

Both men and several bystanders gaped at her like she'd lost her mind.

"That's crazy talk!" Finn yelped. "Kylo Ren doesn't care about anybody!"

"It really is." Poe said, dropping a hand onto Finn's shoulder and moving to stand next him in solidarity. "He's a madman, Rey. A horrible, evil nightmare of a person."

Finn nodded at Poe enthusiastically then asked Rey, "Why would you even think something that crazy?"

"Because he told me so." She said with a touch of bitterness in her tone.

"Think about it! Even if that was true, how long has it been since you've talked to him? He might not love you now!" The handsome former stormtrooper said in a mildly patronizing tone.

"It's been less than three days." She confessed quietly.

"What?" Finn's mouth hung open nearly as wide as his eyes.

"Look, it's hard to explain," Shrugging out from under his hands, she said firmly, "And we don't have the time to get into it right now." She looked at Poe and barked, "I'm going. Get everybody out of here as fast as you can." She left them both standing there gaping and hurried off to the hangar bay to board the Millenium Falcon for what she hoped would not be the last time.

"Supreme Leader, the coordinants have been sent out, the fleet is awaiting your orders, Sir." The communications officer, Perez, informed him in a ringing tone.

"My Lord! A ship has just dropped out of hyperspace directly ahead!" The helmsman, who's name Kylo Ren did not know, cried.

"On screen!" He ordered, jumping out of his seat. "Magnify!"

He knew that ship! His heartbeat doubled it's pace. "Lock it down! Forward tractor beam! Bring it to bay 94!" He shouted and rushed off deck to go and meet her.

He had a moment to catch his breath as the Falcon was pulled into the bay. The feel of her jangled nerves, when he reached his mind out to make sure she was there, was the sweetest thing he had felt in a very long time. He steadied himself with a deep breath and purposefully wiped both his mind and face free of all emotions with a trick he'd picked up to help him hide his most private thoughts from Snoke. It wouldn't do to reveal too much too soon.

The Millenium Falcon came to rest on it's landing gear with a soft thud and the door hissed open. Rey strode down the ramp, walked right up to him - stopping just out of arms reach - and hissed, "You really are a murderous snake, you know that, right?"

His eyes skimmed over her, taking in every detail. Her hair was a tangled mess, her face tired and drawn. She had dark circles under her -thankfully- soft brown eyes. He was disappointed to see that she wasn't wearing her usual desert garb but had opted instead to wear what appeared to be a mismatched collection of clothing from the Resistance's rubbish bin. Her faded grey undershirt was at the same time too wide and too short, the shoulder seams fell halfway down her arms while the bottom hem was a good two inches above her navel in the middle. Her beat up brown leather vest, on the other hand, was a little too small, he doubted it would even fasten over her breasts. The soft blue wool of her britches bagged at the waist and calves but clung like second skin to her hips and thighs. He'd never seen anyone looking so rumpled and so beautiful at the same time.

"Say something!" She barked. She had to tamp down the urge to punch him in the mouth. An entire battalion of stormtroopers had their blasters pointed at her, hitting him now would be suicide.

"You look terrible." He said, blandly.

She gaped at him, clearly incredulous. "Why did you come here, Kylo?" She demanded, making sure to inject as much venom into that name as possible.

He ignored the question and turned on his heel, "Come." He ordered and strolled away, leaving her no choice but to obey. "Let's talk privately."

She followed him as far as the doorway of a tiny room with an interogation table in it before refusing to go further. "You've got to be kidding me!" She glared at him.

"Inside." He motioned with his hand and she slid across the polished floor, all the way to the table. Once the restraints had clicked closed around her arms and ankles he dismissed the half dozen stormtroopers that had escorted her here at blasterpoint. The door swooshed shut and he turned his full attention to her.

Facetiously he asked, "Comfortable?"

"Do you honestly believe this going to work?" She glared.

"What 'this' would that be?" He asked in such a cooly obtuse tone that it made her teeth ache with the desire to rip his throat out.

"This! It wont work!" She snapped. "You can Destroy everyone and everything I care about and I'll still never turn to you!" She fumed, jerking against the restraints that bound her arms to the table. "I want nothing to do with you!"

He said mildly, "You have such a low opinion of me."

"You are low! And treacherous!" Her eyes and voice were brimming with a fury that bordered on madness when she added for good measure, "And evil!"

He paced back and forth in front of her twice more, never taking his eyes off of her, then clicked his tongue in a tsk tsk. "Tell me, what low, treacherous, evil things do I have planned for you now that I have you here?" He really wasn't sure of the answer to that question, himself. Though talking to her had been on his list of things to do, he had assumed she'd be slightly less rabidly hateful toward him when he got that chance. In the mood she was in he was pretty sure he couldn't possibly say anything to her that she would even bother to listen to at this point.

"Whatever it is, you might as well get on with it." She said belligerantly. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Good." He said dismissively. He paced a few more laps back and forth in front of her as she grew more restless and fretful.

Feeling her agitation gave him an idea.

"Let's begin, shall we?" He said almost pleasantly as he stopped and turned to face her.


	8. Chapter 8

He removed the light saber from his belt and clasped it firmly with both hands behind his back as he stepped close enough to see every detail of the patterning in her light brown eyes. Taking a comfortable stance he settled in for a long wait.

Rey eyed him warily, he had his weapon in hand, she knew, and could strike her down at any moment but after several minutes of his unwavering, barely blinking stare she could take it no more and snapped at him angrily, "What? What do you want?"

He didn't answer, or even seem to consider answering, his only response was a brief narrowing of his eyes.

The way he was eying her made her feel like the subject of some cruel experiment. His gaze was nearly as uncomfortable to her as the pain of having her mind ripped open and her body squeezed until her bones nearly cracked by his former master. After another two minutes of this odd torture she demanded, "Say something."

Refusing to look at those unsettling eyes of his she reached out with the Force to unfasten the bindings that held her to the upright table. They didn't budge. She tried again then said accusingly "You're holding the binders closed."

His eyes narrowed momentarily before relaxing back to normal.

Determined to not give him the satisfaction of getting her to submit to whatever twisted game he was playing she forced herself to calm down and say as lightly as she could manage, "Fine, I didn't get much sleep last night so why don't you just wake me up when you're ready to talk." She relaxed back into the table and turned her head to the side as if she no longer cared that he was staring at her.

He couldn't allow her to hide from him so easily so he broke his self imposed silence. "I do want to talk." He said the moment her eyes closed. "But first, I want to listen."

She jerked to attention and glared at him. "What does that even mean?"

He eyed her impassively.

Realizing he had no intention of answering she growled in frustration.

"You want to listen? Fine, then you listen." Her voice was vibrating with rage. "You may have come from a great family but you're nothing!" She hurled his insult back at him viciously. "You care about nothing! And that's all you'll ever be!" She liked the taste of cruelty on her tongue as she spat, "Nothing!"

His face had lost most of it's impassivity, she could see him struggling to try to recover it so she hammered at him that much harder.

"Nothing but an overgrown child with a lust for power!" She scoffed cruelly and saw her words crack open more chinks in his facade. Enjoying every drop of his pain she went in for the kill. "How satisfying is all that power? Huh?" She taunted. "Does it care about you? Does it fight for you? Does it comfort you when you're hurting? Does it tell you the things you need to hear?"

Dissapointment washed through her as he regained control and closed himself off again.

She switched tactics, "Does it whisper in your ear that you're worth more than the power you wield?" She asked in a soft seductive voice. "That you have it in you to be greater than the rest of your family combined? That you are destined to surpass them all?"

A muscle twitched in his jaw but aside from that her words appeared to bounce harmlessly off of him.

"Because if it has said any of that it was lying!" She snarled. Frustrated at his lack of reaction she tried striking the locking mechanism on the binders with a sudden burst of Force energy. It didn't work.

He tilted his head ever so slightly but remained blank-faced.

"Maybe you could have been a force for good in the galaxy, once upon a time." She tried wriggling her wrists free, that didn't work either. "But now the only way you could improve anything is by impaling yourself on that ugly red blade of yours!"

He may as well have been carved in stone for how unflinchingly he stared at her.

Giving up on trying to rile him she shouted, "What? What do you want from me?" Pulling away from the table to lean out and bring her face within inches of his she growled, "Why are you doing this?"

He'd never imagined she could be so cruel. Her vicious words hurt so much that for a time he'd been on the verge of completely failing in his odious task. Patience had never been a virtue of his, and never would be, but somehow, knowing what was at stake, he'd managed to recover his implacable facade. He wore it now as he watched her struggle against the bindings and listened to her growls and shouts.

He hated every second of what he was doing to her as much as he hated every cruel word that she'd hurled at him but his only hope was resting on his ability to stand here and take it all with a straight face. While he admired her strength, he wished it would fail quickly.

"Let me out of these restrains!" She snarled then, letting her rage and hatred take control, screeched, "When I get out of these things, I'm going to plunge your own light saber straight through your black heart!"

He stepped closer, dropped his light saber back into it's place on his belt, grabbed the back of her head in his left hand and Force pulled a small, wickedly sharp looking silver blade out of his boot with his right.

She roared as the blade flashed toward her face.

He thrust the knife in front of her eyes. "Look!" He demanded, struggling to hold her head still and in line with the flat of his blade. "Look at your eyes, Rey!" His fist closed around a handful of her hair in an attempt to stop her thrashing. "Do you see? Do you see what you're becoming?"

"Let me go!" She continued to struggle despite the pain in her scalp.

"Look!" He shouted and pinned her to the table with his whole body.

"Get off me!" She caught a glimpse of her eyes in the shining silver blade. Except, they weren't her eyes. Two glowing yellow irises rimmed in red stared back at her from the flat of the blade.

She stopped struggling and blinked at herself in the polished surface. "Why are my eyes like that?" She asked after a stunned moment.

He eased away from her cautiously and let go of her hair. Taking a calming breath he tucked the dagger back into his boot and straightened up to face her.

"Because you hate me." He said matter-of-factly.

She gawked at him as if he'd just just spoken the words in astromech speak.

"Hate is the driving force of the dark side." He explained, thankful to his voice for remaining calm. "Pure and perfect hate is all that is required to unlock it's most powerful resources... and if your hatred is strong enough you get those eyes."

"The dark side?" She breathed.

"Your hatred has seduced you to the dark side." His traitorous voice cracked despite his best efforts to remain stoic. "What Snoke couldn't do to me in over a decade, I've done to you in under a year."

"You really are a monster!" She spat.

He found it difficult to look at her with those eyes, but he forced himself to. When he spoke his voice was a rough, raw sound, "Maybe I am," He fought the stinging in his eyes with several moist blinks. "But you're not."

"Monster!" She snarled.

"Rey," Her name was a plea in and of itself.

"Let me go!" She growled like a feral beast.

"Please, don't do this." He said softly. "It isn't too late for you." A tear spilled out of his right eye and sluiced down the channel in his cheek where her light saber had sliced his face. "I can feel the conflict within you, it's tearing you apart." She stilled and watched as more tears slid down both sides of his face. "I can help you." He ended in a raged whisper.

She recognized those words, she had said exactly that, and more, to him while desperately attempting to sway him back into the light. She'd been trying to save him then… save him, turn him, love him… She stretched her feelings out towards his, looking for signs of anything devious or nefarious. She found nothing so she decided to give reading his mind a try.

Feeling her mind probe at his he dropped his defenses, opening his mind to her and inviting her fully inside. He didn't bother trying to talk, he knew he'd only fail if he tried. Instead he simply stood there, watching as those yellow eyes searched his soul.

He'd never been so exposed, so vulnerable, or so terrified in his entire life.


	9. Chapter 9

Rey slipped into his unguarded mind and the Images, thoughts, and feelings of their history, from his point of view, began to unfold in exquisite detail.

Through the digital display of his helmet she could see herself in the forest on Takodona, a glimpse here, a glimpse there, through the trees. The colors of everything on the display were washed out and dimmed so that her false color heat signature stood out in stark relief against an almost flat background. She could see lines of scrolling data reporting her vital statistics in his peripheries- range, species, sex, approximate age, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, respiration, over all life expectancy based on the details of her report.

She could feel the shock that had rippled through him when he'd stepped into the stone crevise in front of her, switched his display to a real color image and gotten his first good up-close look at the girl he'd been tracking. Rey felt how astounded he had been to discover that in addition to what he considered to be an absolutely lovely face and form, she was possessed of a breathtaking amount of raw power that he could feel pulling him towards her like a magnet. She felt him instantly recover from his shock as a jolt of power crackled through him when she began to pepper him with blaster bolts and felt how he had very quickly come to admire what he considered to be her vicious killer instinct.

She felt his mind register a strong concern that one of them was going to get killed as he deflected bolt after bolt. She felt an intense surge of power zing through him, saw her gun hand fling backwards and felt his whole body spasm as her muscular system locked up.

She saw a different type of false color image replace her real color image on his display, saw him scan her from head to toe and knew that he was checking her for other weapons. When the display image flicked back to real color she felt how his intensely focused visual scan on the way back up from her toes was nowhere near as impersonal or analytical as the false color weapons check had been.

Rey actually felt the spark of his fascination ignite into a full blown wildfire as her raw power and strong will forced him to channel previously unfathomable amounts of energy to catch even a tiny glimpse inside of her mind. She felt a dizzying flash of relief flood through him when he caught a brief image of the map she had seen, and the thrill that shot up his spine at realizing that he had an excuse to take her prisoner. She saw her body begin to crumple and felt his queer enjoyment of holding her in his arms as he'd carried her limp form back to his shuttle.

Through his memory, she saw how his eyes had barely left her for a moment the entire time she had been unconcious. Some of the thoughts that had flitted through his mind as his eyes had freely roamed across her sleeping face and body made her insides flutter and her skin go hot and prickly.

She felt his desire to see the exact shade and patterning of her eyes, and his impatience for her to wake up as he bound her to the interrogation table on Star Killer base. She felt his curiousity grow into a living thing as he pondered how she might react to her predicament, would she beg and plead like so many others? He'd wondered. She felt intrigue flit through him as he thought of the raw power and fierce strength she had displayed in resisting his earlier mind probe and she felt his hope that she would still be fiery and fierce when she awakened.

She could feel his impatience with her prolonged unconciousness grow nearly unbearable before he finally felt her starting to wake up. She felt his desire to see every single detail of her face as it came back to life and saw the sight of her shift as he squatted down for a better view of her closed eyelids. His attention was lazer focused on her eyes as they fluttered open and she felt his insides actually flutter with them.

She could hear the sound of her own heartbeats through the unmuted audio input of his vitals scanner and she heard how her heart quivvered unnaturally when she became aware of his presence. She felt him sense the loathing that washed through her at the sight of him and felt a shaft of pain stab him in the chest.

She felt him sense that the fear he felt stealing through her stemmed from what he might have done to her friends and she felt his desire to reassure her that he hadn't harmed them. When she called him a 'creature in a mask,' she felt how her words had stung him and how much he couldn't bear to have her think of him that way.

That was when he'd taken off his helmet.

In his mind she felt him feel the shock that had ripped through her at the sight of his naked face and she felt how his heart had skipped a beat at that exact moment in reaction to seeing her with his own eyes, not as a real color image on the display in his helm, but in real living color for the first time.

She felt him feeling her insides jump around as he stepped nearer. She felt him feeling her confusion, and the tickle of fear that sent her heart skipping when she'd felt as if her soul was trying to leap into his body.

She felt his heart skipping, his soul tugging towards her, "Don't be afraid," He'd said then. "I feel it, too."

She hadn't understood what he'd meant then, but it made perfect sense now that she could feel it from his perspective.

She felt him struggle to keep up an appearance of disinterest as he worked furiously to break into her mind and she could feel the incredible amount of power he'd had to channel in order to managed it.

She felt hunger tear through him, felt his mouth go dry at the earthy muskiness of sweat and forest with a faint trace of something warm and almost floral that was his first scent of her. She felt how desperately close he had come to completely losing his composure as he was struck with a sudden and very powerful urge to bury his face into the bare skin between her neck and shoulder to simply inhale her.

She felt his heart actually twinge painfully at the images and loneliness of her past few months living alone in her abandonded AT-AT out in the battle graveyard near Niima Outpost.

She felt how her desperation had made his insides churn as he watched her try, night after night, to distract herself from the burning pain of an empty stomache by envisioning the most beautiful place she could imagine…

She could feel an intense blast of jealousy tear through him as he saw her feelings for rogue Stormtrooper FN2187- Finn- began to evolve from seeing him as a nuissance to considering him her friend to feeling a vague, undefined, attraction to him and a swift yet lesser pang of it at her memories of Han Solo as he watched her quickly grow closer to his father than he possibly ever had been.

She felt the entirety of his being- heart, mind, body and soul- spasm as her mind had invaded his. For a few brief heartbeats they had existed in each other's mind as fully as they existed in their own, then she felt him recoil reflexively from her mind in shock. She felt his control slip and his fascination ratchet up as she'd described what she had discovered inside of him. She felt how rattled he'd been as he'd fled from her presence to try to get a grip on himself.

Next, she saw herself in the snowy forest on Star Killer base, standing next to Finn with a blaster pointed at him… again. A surge of anger burst through him dulling the screaming agony in his side where Chewbacca's bowcaster bolt had caught him in the abdomen a little below his left ribs.

She felt furious power snapping through him as he grabbed her in an invisible fist and threw her against a tree when he felt her finger begin to tighten on the trigger and she felt his horror at having thrown her so hard she'd been knocked out, then she felt his relief when he realized she wasn't dead or even seriously injured.

She felt him force himself to pay attention to the traitorous former stormtrooper and watched through his eyes as the rebel ignited what he instantly recognized to be Anakin Skywalker's light saber. She felt a nearly unhinged amount of anger flood through him accompanied by a spine-tingling amount of raw power that trivialized his pain temporarily with it's intensity.

She felt rage snarl through him as the man holding his grandfather's weapon put up way more of a fight that he'd expected- even managing to wound him in his upper right arm. She felt his satisfaction when he'd struck what should have been a killing blow just to the left of his opponent's spine from the small of his back to his shoulder blade.

She could feel his triumph as he reached for his prize and his astonished amazement when it flew past him and landed in her hand. She could feel the tingles that had nothing to do with the Force shoot throughout his entire body as he watched that blade erupt into life and illuminate her fiercely beautiful face. She became aware of how he'd thought, in that moment, that she was the most incredible person he'd ever met in his life.

She could feel the pain in his mind and body, but those sensations paled in comparison to the awesome rush of Force energy singing through him as she had attacked. She felt the restraint he'd used in fending off her assault while trying not to hurt her, and she felt his admiration tinged relief when he'd finally managed to tie up her blade with his.

She felt him feeling the Force throb through her body while her eyes had been closed and she felt his heart stop, while her own had done the same, when the throbbing reached a dizzying peak.

She felt his trickle of fear as she gained the upper hand in their duel despite his best efforts to defend against her relentless attack. She felt his momentary distraction when pain seared his right calf as her blade caught him there and then the so much more agonizing slice of her blade as it burned through his face, neck and shoulder.

She felt his fear and disappointment as he looked up at her from the ground and realized that he was about to die and she felt his stunned disbelief and awe as the ground opened up between them and whisked her away. She felt his certainty that she belonged with him as he lay there, bleeding, watching her float away to the other side of the chasm that he believed the Force had opened between them.

Next she felt the sharp jabs of pain in his right cheek as a suture droid knitted away at the healing scar on his face caused by her light saber. She could see herself in his mind's eye, lowering her weapon and panting as she drifted away. She was startled to realize he'd been thinking of how gorgeous she'd looked in that moment, like a savage angel, he'd thought.

She felt the tingle in his spine and the leap of fearful joy he'd felt when she appeared in front of him a moment after he'd waved away the suture droid. Fear that if she was here, he'd have no choice but to inform Snoke, joy because he was just plain thrilled to see her.

She felt his visceral reaction to her phantom blaster bolt which caught him painlessly in the gut. She felt his panic when he looked back up and she was gone. She felt his desperation to find her, to prove to himself that she'd been there, yes, but also because he needed to see her again.

She felt his heart leap when he caught sight of her in the corridor outside medbay.

She felt his chagrine at realizing that she wasn't really there when his attempt at mind control not only failed, but found no mind to even latch onto.

She felt the realization enter his mind that whatever was happening was being orchestrated by something far bigger than either of them.

She felt the hunger growing and shifting inside him with each new encounter, each new image, each memory as they flashed through his mind, and she felt as it morphed from a hunger to possess her into a desire to deserve her as the memory of their last connection before they'd met again flittered through his mind.

She was astounded to learn that the precious intimacy of that moment had meant every bit as much to him as it had to her, possibly more… not only was she actually talking to him as if she didn't hate him, but for the first time since the cross galaxy connection had opened up he could actually feel what she was feeling, how vulnerable and fragile and utterly alone she had felt in those moments just before she had reached out to him… the memory ended abruptly just before their fingertips touched.

Another image of her swirled into his mind, she was looking up at him from the flat of her back in the pod that had jetisoned from the Millenium Falcon moments before.

She felt his momentary instant of horror at seeing her there, onboard the Supremacy, within Snoke's reach and she felt him tamp it down until he was so tightly in control of his emotions that she couldn't feel a thing as he watched her be put into binders then lead her into the elevator that would take them directly to Snoke's crimson throne room.

She felt his control slip as she said his name and felt him lose it entirely as she stepped nearer, looking up at him with wide, trusting eyes and speaking to him in that soft, intimate voice about having seen his future when their hands had touched.

He had wanted nothing more than to declare his intentions to her then and there but he knew that if he did, Snoke would kill them both.

She felt his conviction as he'd told her that it would be she who would turn and stand by his side. She felt the promise that he'd made to himself when he told her that he saw her parents. He had promised himself that he would show and tell her everything once his business with Snoke was concluded.

His memory of the event stopped there and instead of the detailed moment by moment version he had been showing her he sent several short moments flashing through his mind: Her screaming as Snoke tortured her, she could feel the way it had seared his soul to watch every second of her mistreatment. Her on her knees in front of him, she felt the way his heart had shattered to hear her say his name so pathetically when she thought he was going to kill her. She felt a sense of having been relieved of a massive burden flood through him when he'd activated her light saber and his fleeting moment of doubt as she'd scrambled to her feet with her weapon at the ready. She felt the question in his mind of whether she intended to fight with him or against him dissolve into a sense of giddy relief as he felt her make her choice.

His recollection of turning to face the red armored Praetorian Guards was exactly as she had remembered it. Their minds had fused together in the very instant that she'd decided to fight with him and had stayed connected in the background as each had been forced to concentrate on simply staying alive as nearly a dozen heavily armored and armed guards had attacked in a rush.

She felt his distraction as searing pain lanced through her arm at being stabbed and she felt him recenter himself and turn his attention back to the trio of guards he was fighting.

She now understood that He'd known that she knew what he'd been thinking as he'd stood, letting the last guard's body hit the floor with zero thought of anything but getting to her… She felt him feel her feeling his breathlessly intense desire to kiss her even as she'd fled from his mind.

She felt frustration snarl to life inside of him as she choose to stubbornly ignore that desire. She felt it grow intense as she started to lobby on behalf of the rebels when what he desperately needed to know was whether she was with him or not, and she felt it boil over as he yelled at her to let go of the past.

She felt his disdain for the couple he called filthy junk traders and thats when his memory of the event changed drastically from reality. Instead of saying, as he had in reality, "You have no place in this story. You come from nothing, you're nothing… but not to me. Join me." he said the words from the dream. "You have a place in this story. You're my everything, always were… everything to me. Trust me."

She felt him feel her reaction to the altered memory and she heard his voice whisper through her mind, a plea that was half a sob, 'Please.'

Kylo dropped the last of his defenses and let her feel what he was feeling now.

Rey was able to identify many of Ren's tumultuous emotions as they washed over her like the waves battering the stone on Ach-to when he had agreed that he was a monster. Kylo's inner pain filled the air between them, his heart, mind and soul a roadmap of raw emotional wounds and scars that outnumbered his physical scars many times over.

His fear washed over Rey with all the burning intensity of a sand storm on a hot summer day near Niima Outpost. The first time she'd been this deep in his mind the only powerful fear she had found had been that he couldn't live up to the legacy of Darth Vader- A legend that still permeated through all levels of society from one end of the galaxy to the other. She felt no trace of that fear in him now, it had been replaced by other fears that were so intense she could only think of them as terrors.

She could feel every bit of his abject terror of the possibility that she may have never felt anything for him that was in any way similar to what he still felt for her - that she might have only come to the Supremacy that day to save the rebels and not at all because of him. That thought had his whole body so tightly coiled that hers started to vibrate from the tension.

She could feel the crushing weight from his overwhelming terror that he truly hadn't misjudged her at all but had -in his inability to properly express himself in that moment- permanantly destroyed any and all hope that this might end well. The thought of that had his chest so heavily compressed that Rey could hardly breathe.

She could also feel the seering agony of his soul deep terror that she might never see him again as she had before he had messed everything up between them, the thought of that had his heart pounding so hard and fast that hers felt like it was about to give out.

She felt his disgust in himself for not making his feelings abundantly clear before asking her to take his hand, for failing to tell her that the galaxy meant nothing to him without her, for not realizing sooner that the Resistance didn't need to die on those shuttles or in that mine or at all, for not telling her that he only wanted to stop the galaxy from bleeding and then spend the rest of his life loving her.

She could feel his doubts, he was doubting the wisdom of letting her read him this way, doubting the outcome of inviting her inside his mind, heart and soul, doubting whether any of the things he had shown her would make a bit of difference.

She felt the bright intensity of his hope that she'd turn away from the dark side, that she would accept him now that he'd made his feelings for her perfectly clear, that it wasn't too late for her to love him back, that she could feel as strongly about him as he always had and always would about her, that they could have a future together that included a home and family somewhere blissfully far away from galactic politics.

She backed out of his mind, trembling, panting and covered in sweat, and not just from the exertion of maintaining the mind probe so deeply for so long. She blinked at him, her mind a jumble of reactions to the things she'd seen, felt, and known from being inside of his mind.

The suspicion had never crossed her mind that he might be thinking or feeling any of the things that he had just shown her. From her perspective, he'd always seemed so stiff and cold, specifically toward her, that she'd never even fathomed the possibility that he'd been falling head over heels in love with her since the moment they'd met.

All she could do was stare into his maddeningly calm face and intense, unblinking gaze as her mind fought to reconcile what she had thought he'd been feeling all along -a desire to recruit her as a student of the Dark side- with what he'd actually been feeling.

He reached inside his shirt and pulled out a piece of paper roughly the size of his hand and offered it to her as the bindings holding her to the table fell away.

She took the creamy page and saw that it was an exquisitely detailed ink drawing of her. In the drawing her face wore an expression of intense longing framed by a beautifully rendered tangle of sleep touseled hair, the folds of her nightgown draped over her body like a lover's caress, and her soft, heavy-lidded eyes gazed back from the page startling her with the intensity of the hunger within them. She recognized it as the image of her that he had glimpsed just three nights ago, while she'd been speaking of the man she'd once considered him to be.

The page swam before her eyes and two fat tears spilled down her cheeks as she looked up to see the same expression on his face that was on hers in the drawing. He raised his hand, and in it he held his lightsaber which he offered to her.

"Take it." He whispered and waited while she took the weapon from his hand.

"If you can't forgive me… If you still hate me... If you don't want me..." He said raggedly. "Kill me." He dropped to one knee and looked up at her. "I don't want to live if I have to live without you."


	10. Chapter 10

He had said his piece and was at peace with the prospect of a quick death when he'd handed her his weapon and his life - fully expecting her to take both.

The way he figured it, it was a no lose situation for both of them. When she killed him, she'd have the same sort of spiritual unburdening that he'd experienced after he'd slain Snoke - satifying her hatred for him and saving her from the Darkside while also putting him out of his misery.

His eyes never wavered from Rey's for an instant while her careening emotions flashed across her stupefied face - stunned disbelief, fear, doubt, hope, relief, acceptance, certainty - while she stood there, crying, shaking, and gasping for air.

He was so engrossed in what she was feeling that he nearly jumped out of his skin when his light saber clattered to the floor and she launched herself at him.

He hadn't considered the possibility that she might choose him significant enough to waste his time pondering. The reality of having her in his arms - sobbing and shaking so hard she was difficult to hold onto- sent his entire existence into an out of control whirlwind of emotions and energies that caused his body to shake just as violently as Rey's.

Stunned, he enveloped her in his arms and buried his face into the side of her neck with a sharp inhale. The intoxicating fragrance of her skin shattered his fears and doubts like so many soap bubbles.

Overwhelmed and unable to contain it all he let go of his concious self and felt their minds connect so completely that he could feel her, and knew that she could feel him, as if they shared one body, one mind, and one heart. They desperately clung to each other overwhelmed by surging Force energy that grew even stronger each time it ricocheted from one to the other.

Suddenly their skin burst into pulsating waves of blinding white light and with a feeling of homecoming they sensed the power within them begin to fuse itself and their souls together.

Several heart pounding moments passed as their tattered souls knit seamlessly into a single complete entity. When their union was complete and the light faded away they each pulled back just a little… just enough. Their minds were so inextricably linked that they could see each other through their own eyes and themselves through each other's eyes.

Gazing into the liquid dark pools of his eyes, Rey cupped her lover's face tenderly and touched her lips tenatively to his. His trembling fingers threaded through her hair, holding her gently as their lips parted ever so slightly and began to move in perfect complimentary unison. Neither so much as blinked while the kiss deepened, seemingly with a life of it's own, carrying them both away with an almost desperate desire for more.

The first touch of their tongues sent a jolt through them so powerful that the light saber beside them actually slid a full meter across the floor. The unexpectedly loud skittering of steel across a hard surface startled them and as one they broke apart to gape at the spinning weapon in shock.

When their eyes turned back to each other Rey's heart skipped a beat at the sight of his dazzling, perfectly-imperfect smile.

"You have a beautiful smile." She blurted, dazzled by him even more.

"I'm glad you like it." He grinned and kissed her briefly before adding, "You're going to be seeing it a lot."

"Promise?" She asked, mirroring his peck on the lips.

"Everything." He swore and kissed her hungrily for several minutes before the thought of their surroundings entered into their shared conciousness and they reluctantly drew away from each other.

They walked onto the bridge together.

"Open all channels." He ordered briskly.

"All channels to the Fleet, My Lord?" Perez asked.

"Every channel." He said firmly, focusing on the task at hand. "And sub this." He added, using the Force to float a datadisc through the air to the communications officer.

Several pairs of startled eyes turned toward him.

The confused officer inserted the disc into a slot on the data board and started taping furiously on the coms unit interface. The taping stopped and the man nodded to him.

"To everyone who can hear this message, I am Supreme Leader Kylo Ren of the First Order. I am ordering an immediate termination of hostilities in all sectors and at all levels. All First Order personnel and ships are here-by ordered to stand down. Do not fire until fired upon, unless I personally authorize it. I propose a conference, one month from now on Correlia. It is my belief that by working together we can achieve a lasting peace that we will all be able to enjoy and prosper from. The details of this proposal are being broadcast as a subroutine in this communication." He nodded to Perez.

"Clear, My Lord." The astonished man mused more than reported.

Ben looked at the people on the bridge, making brief eye contact with each one. He read approval, shock, and varying degrees of pride coming off of each and every one of them. His entire bridge approved. He wasn't quite able to process that. He looked at Rey last and the flood of feelings that hit him nearly caused his knees to buckle.

"Captain, you have the bridge." He said as calmly as if he hadn't just invited every person with access to a ship or weapon to come and kill them. That included the captains and crews of the 327 ships already surrounding them.

She met him at the door and then followed him through the corridor where they passed staring crewmembers with every step.

'How many people work in this area?' She wondered idly as she eyed the multitudes of silently staring people that lined the walls of the wide corridor.

'Not this many, stay sharp.' He thought, tension tightening every part of him including his mindvoice.

She could feel his tension and it added to her own.

It was a long, tense, thirty yards to his quarters.

When the door hissed shut behind them they both let out a long harsh breath.

She turned to him and said, "What should I call you?"

His mind did a double take. He was startled by the question as much as he was by the fact that she was asking it.

"That's the first thing you say after all that?" He gaped at her.

"It's the only thing I need to know, right now." She said seriously.

"You do realize we could be murdered any second now, right?" He asked, incredulous.

"Then answer me." She frowned slightly.

"Call me Ben." He said after a momentary pause.

"I love you, Ben." She said with heartfelt sincerity.

"I love you, too, Rey." He said just as sincerely though a smile tugged at his lips.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She asked rhetorically.

"Way ahead of you." He said, grabbing her around the middle and lifting her off the floor as their mouths met.

Rey wrapped her legs around Ben's waist as he lifted her off of the floor. From this position, with their minds connected she could feel the pleasurable sensation that rubbing against him gave them both. It was unlike anything either had felt before. Even through the layers of clothing she could feel the shape of him. She shifted her hips to cup him and moaned at the sensation as her heat enveloped him and his stiffness stroked against the sensitive little nub between the folds of her femininity. It was so overwhelming that they had no choice but break off kissing to gulp in air.

He shifted his hips and the sensation spiraled through them both again. They had no need for words with their minds so completely entwined, no need for instruction when they could feel everything the other felt. She ground herself against him but had to stop almost immediately when his knees went nearly weak enough to buckle.

He released his bruisingly tight grip on her bottom and she slid to the floor. No sooner had her feet touched down than she started tugging at his clothes, wanting them off immediately if not sooner.

"How…? Never mind." She said with a growl and ripped his top open with her bare hands.

She could feel the tightening in his groin as her lips found the pulse at his throat while her hands explored the rock hard plains of his chest.

He could feel the pressure building deep in her lower belly as the smell and taste of his skin consumed her. He felt the spiral of pleasure that shot from her nipples to her womb as those hard little buds rubbed against him. He needed to see her, to taste her, to feel her feeling him do that. With trembling hands he tugged her top off and dropped it there by door.

He feasted his eyes on her for only a few stunned heartbeats and then fell upon her breasts like a starving man. His hands and mouth at her breast demolished them both. When neither could take it a moment longer he plunged his hands into the waistband of her trousers and, dropping to his knees, he dragged them down her legs. His mouth found the spot on her lower belly, just below her navel, behind which the pressure of her arousal was building to an almost unbearable level. He kissed that spot, running his hands up the back of her thighs to grip her bottom once more.

He stood slowly, trailing kisses from hairline to jawline then pulled her off her feet again. He could feel her nervousness mingling with his own as he sat her gently on the edge of the bed and knelt down to remove her boots and the trousers that were bunched around them.

With that done he spread her legs wide apart and drank in the details of her with his eyes until she started to become uncomfortable with his staring.

"Sorry, you're just so beautiful." He said without a hint of remorse.

She sat up and pulled him against her for a long breathless kiss. "My turn." She said, wordlessly urging him to stand. He kicked off his boots as her trembling fingers unfastened his britches.

"Oh, my." She gasped when his erection sprang free of it's confinement. She tugged at his britches until they fell to the floor, where he stepped out of them and kicked them away. She glanced up at his slightly reddened face, then back down. He could read the question in her mind and replied with a wordless thought of encouragment.

She reached out slowly, her hand fluttering as hard as her heart. She could feel his anticipation and it was so delicious she considered prolonging it just a while longer. His breath caught in his throat nearly strangling him as he watched that trembling hand move ever closer… closer… until finally she touched him. A jolt ripped through them both as she ran her fingertips lightly up his length from base to tip. She marveled at the silky texture of his skin, he was blown away by the feel of her featherlight caress. The tension inside of her nearly boiled over when she closed her fist around him and felt his response to that.

She gave him a light experimental squeeze and then ran her fist lightly up his length. The sensation that those tenative actions flooded into their shared conciousness were far too delectible to not do it again. A bead of liquid, almost like a tear formed on the tip of his erection and without even thinking about it she lapped it off with her tongue.

Groaning, he clenched his teeth, panting, his fists clenching and releasing in time with her orgasm as the tension inside of her boiled over, washing through her whole lower abdomen. The shockwave of pleasure was so intense she could do nothing but hold him in her hand and shudder as her womb spasmed and a gush of liquid heat flowed from her body with each spasm.

When the spasms subsided she opened her eyes and looked at him. He was looking at her with his face set in stone, jaw clenched, eyes blazing as hot as a star. Deliberately she leaned out and licked him again never taking her eyes off of his. His member bucked against her hand and she licked him again, each stroke of her tongue stoking the fire inside her.

She could feel what it cost him to stand there motionless as she explored him with her mouth and hands. When he was nearly out of his mind with need she thought to him, 'let go.'

He couldn't have held on another heartbeat if his life depended on it. His orgasm ripped through her like a hurricane of sensation, sending her spiralling out of control as she gave in to another of her own. The pulses of their orgasms were in perfect rhythm with the hot spew of liquid sliding down her throat and gushing from her womb.

For one dizzying moment only the sensation existed.

When the last spasms subsided he dropped to his knees and shoved her gently backwards. This time when he knelt between her legs and spread them wide he feasted on her with his lips and tongue in addition to his eyes.

The feel of his mouth on her was just as intoxicating and raw and powerful as the feel of her mouth on him had been as he explored every sensation he could conjure with his mouth, his tongue, his lips and even his breath. He suckled the tiny throbbing nub, and swirled the tip of his tongue around it, testing varying degrees of pressure, speed and direction until she was lost in a mindless haze of need.

He barely noticed the pain in his scalp as she grabbed two fistfulls of his hair when another orgasm ripped through her. He caught the liquid spray of her climax with his mouth and drank every drop as it spurted out of her. Then he licked the moisture from her folds and turned to feast on the supple skin of her thighs. His own need was nearly overwhelming but his need to taste her skin was greater. He licked, kissed and nibbled every delectible inch of her between her knees and her collarbones. Each caress sending pleasure spiralling through both of them so strongly that when at last he settled into the cradle of her thighs there was no hessitation on either part as she thrust her hips up to meet his downward thrust. A white hot lance of pain ripped through them both and they froze, gaping at each other in shock.

For a moment neither dared move or speak.

Rey broke the silence, "I think I just figured out why animals scream when they mate." She said with humor, trying to distract Ben from his horrified response to the pain he had caused her.

"I'm so sorry!" He gasped, pulling away from and out of her to stand up, he had no real direction in mind so he just stood there his hands buried in his hair and gaped at her. Then he noticed the blood and started to hyperventilate. "No, no, no no no."

She had to shout to get his attention, "Ben! Calm down! It's alright!"

"No it's not!" He sobbed. "You're bleeding! Medic! You need a medic!"

Her laughter stopped him in his tracks as he turned to get help.

"I'm fine." She assured him. "I'm pretty sure that's supposed to happen."

"Huh?" He did a mental double take.

She sighed and sent a memory of overhearing two rough looking characters talking graphically about a recent conquest, through their shared conciousness. When the memory subsided he sagged with relief.

"I grew up in a rough area, I overheard a lot of things I wish I hadn't. I never thought I'd be grateful to have overheard that, though." She grinned as he climbed back into bed with her.

"I feel like such a fool." He said, pulling her against him and burying his nose in her hair.

"Don't." He was holding her to where her back was against his front so she stroked his forearm as she spoke soothingly. "Don't feel like that. I wasn't expecting the pain, either, and I love that you didn't know about the blood. We get to explore this together with neither one of us knowing anything about it before the other."

"I love you so much, I can't stand the thought of hurting you again." He said hoarsely into her hair.

"You wont." She grasped the back of his hand. "We'll just take it a little slower this time."

"You want to try that again?" He was in awe of her and not for the first time.

She moved his hand from her ribs to her breast and wiggled her bottom against him. "I do, and really soon." She twisted around to face him. "Like… now, soon." She smiled and kissed him.

The kiss deepened and she felt him quicken against her thigh. She slid her mouth down to his neck, his shoulder. She pushed gently and he rolled onto his back. She straddled his thighs and licked, nibbled and kissed every bit of skin between his chin and his navel then reversed her course and inched her way upwards until his ardor matched her own.

She shifted her position until he was poised at the entrance of her body. She paused and gazed into his eyes as slowly, inch by inch she lowered herself onto him until he was buried completely inside of her. She gave him a smokey eyed grin and rolled her hips, grinding against him in a small circle. That was a pleasant sensation so she did it again, making a larger circle. That caused him to slide out and back in an inch or two and increased the pleasantness quite a bit. On the third try she made a wide circle with her hips that caused him to come halfway out and back in. That sensation went beyond pleasant, into the realm of pleasurable so she did it again, and again.

Rey tested different speeds and rhythms until she found a combination that left them both gasping for air. When her climax washed over her he rolled them both over until he was on top and withdrew from her almost completely before plunging back in. Her wanton cry encouraged him and he did it again.

It was an incredible sensation, feeling the pleasure of being inside her hot, slick, tight, pulsing sheath while feeling the spasms from her point of view. He orgasmed and didn't even care, he just kept going, swept up in the shared sensation of being inside of her and feeling what that felt like to her.

Rey was overwhelmed, mindless with pleasure, her entire body awash in wave after dizzying wave. As his tempo increased so too did the speed and intensity of sensations until she lost all touch with reality and simply existed as one prolonged climax. Every thrust of his pelvis sparking off another explosion within her until she was screaming and clawing holes in the bedsheets. They shifted positions several times, sometimes fluidly, sometimes awkwardly, exploring every new sensation thoroughly.

She felt him explode inside of her twice more without even missing a beat of his almost savage rhythm. After what seemed like an eternity they came together with such force that both completely melted, trembling and boneless, gasping for air and too weak to even think.

Several minutes passed before he could even muster the strength to roll off of her.

"Alright," She said when she finally caught her breath. "You can be on top most of the time."

He laughed. "Well, at least we know everybody on this level knows my name, now."

They both laughed until tears poured into their sweat soaked hair. "I'm pretty sure they know mine, too." She said amidst guffaws of delight and snuggled up to his side, using his shoulder for a pillow and then yawned massively.

He stroked her hair idly, his mind replaying the past few hours.

"Unless you're wanting to go again, I suggest you find something else to think about." She mumbled sleepily.


	11. Chapter 11

Several hours later…

Rey lay dozing with her head pillowed on Ben's bare chest. His fingers weaved idly through her hair, soothing her toward sleep. If someone had told her yesterday that she'd be falling asleep in the arms of the man she loved today, she'd have thought them crazy. Something was bothering her, though. She felt like she'd forgotten something.

"What is it?" Ben frowned at the top of her head.

"The Resistance!" She gasped. "Finn and Poe probably think I'm dead!" She said in a rush as she jerked upright. "I have to let them know I'm alright!"

She hurriedly dressed as he watched, frowning. She didn't need to look at him to feel his displeasure. "I'm not leaving you." She answered his unspoken concern.

"There's no need to call them from the Falcon, I have a holo in here." His frown deepend. "Walking around this ship is too dangerous for you right now."

"We can't stay in this room forever." She countered.

He grinned, "I could."

She still wasn't used to seeing him smile, she doubted she'd ever get used to it. "I could, too." She said dreamily before giving herself a mental shake. "But first I have to let Finn and Poe know I'm alright. Your holo will do."

She walked over to pick up her boots from where they lay on the floor next to him.

Ben caught Rey's hand in his and kissed her nearly healed knuckles, her other knuckles, the back of her hand, "Good." He murmured against the skin there. and turned her hand over to kiss the other side. "Because I'm not ready to let you go, yet." He kissed each of her fingers from palm to tip and back again. Though his burning hunger for her had been thoroughly quenched, he couldn't seem to stop wanting to kiss her and the more of her he kissed the more of her he wanted to kiss.

The tenderness exuding from his soul combined with the warm, light caress of his lips as he feathered kisses across her palm then slowly past the inside of her wrist drove all other existing things from Rey's mind for quite some time to come.

Maybe it was because Rey was so beautiful she took his breath away. Maybe it was because when she looked at him he could feel how much she truly cared. Maybe it was because he couldn't believe she was really here with him. Maybe it was a natural side effect of finally, after a lifetime of not belonging, finding a sense of home with her. Whatever the cause, Ben knew it was far more than passion or desire.

He tugged her down onto the edge of the matress, sat up and brushed her hair back from her face. Tenderly, he cupped the back of her head with both hands and kissed each eyelid, each cheekbone, her brows, the tip of her nose, her chin. He trailed kisses from one side of her jaw to the other and from her earlobes to the tips of those little pink shells. He kissed the underside of her chin, the column of her throat, the hollow between her collarbones.

Ben was in no hurry, he felt neither urgency nor clawing hunger. He wanted simply to kiss her, to love her, to cherish her.

He kissed the exposed parts of her collarbones, the bare bits of her shoulders. He slid off the bed and leaned down to kiss the parts of her midrift left bare by the ill-fitting grey shirt she had donned so hastily just moments before.

She hadn't yet put her boots on so her legs from the calf down were also bare. He kissed those too, and the bones of her ankles. He kissed each dainty toe and the arch of each foot.

When he was done with that he kissed every exposed bit of her again on his way back up her body. When at last he had kissed everything else, he kissed her lips, first one, then the other, then both.

He could feel the fogginess in her brain caused by his kisses, see the heaviness of her eyes, hear the ragged quality of her breath.

He could feel the pounding beat of her heart, the ache in her loins, and the soreness their earlier passion had caused in the delicate flesh between her thighs. His driving need, in this moment, was not to lose himself in that aching flesh, no, it was simply to show her how precious each and every bit of her was to him.

Wordlessly, minds connected, they shifted positions so that she was facing away from him and he eased the baggy cloth over her head, allowing it to pool in her lap. He kissed the nape of her neck, across the ridge of each shoulder, down her spine, up the blades of her shoulders. Down the backs of her arms, around the curve of her waist, to her navel.

He kissed every part of her belly and moved upwards to her ribs. He kissed those, too, before moving on to her breasts. Those he kissed every bit of twice and nuzzled the stiffened peaks only briefly as he kissed them too. He moved on, kissing her chest every bit as thoroughly as he had her breasts. Then back to her collarbones, without the cloth of her top to impede him, he kissed those thoroughly, then did it again before kissing his way up her neck and back to her mouth. This time when he kissed her mouth he allowed himself to plunder it's depths with his tongue.

When he had captured her hand and began to kiss it, Rey had been distracted by the need to check in with her allies, but by the time his warm, suprisingly soft lips had finished their feather light caress of her fingertips he had gained her full attention. The thoroughness with which he kissed her combined with the tenderness of what he was feeling held her entranced.

He kissed her slowly, not a trace of the nearly mindless hunger from earlier was evident in him at all. No, this was something else, something deeper, something far more real and emotional than she would ever have suspected he was capable of even a heartbeat before that realization had hit her.

She'd run through a gamut of emotions since she had awakened some six or seven hours ago, from terror and rage to joy and passion, but this was somehow more powerful than all of them.

The Force only knows how many physical climaxes she had experienced during the incredibly long period of time their passions had burned so hotly, but as he feathered what could only be described as chaste kisses across every bit of exposed skin on her body she felt as if her heart was experiencing a climax with every brush of his lips.

She knew, without the need for instruction, when and how he wanted her to move or shift her position so that he could better access which bits he wanted to kiss next and she complied with no concious thought to do so.

She was lost in a fog of feelings so thick she could barely see through her own eyes. The way he kissed her, the reverence with which his lips worshipped her stole her breath away.

A lifetime of eeking out a living in the harsh environment of Niima Outpost had taught her to be tough, but the soft brush of his lips against her skin showed her the very meaning of tenderness. Her entire life spent waiting for someone to want her melted away into the absolute certainty of having found exactly who she'd been waiting for. The bitter loneliness that had been her lifelong companion faded into nothing as her heart was filled near to bursting with his love for her and hers for him. She had never known she could feel so cherished.

When at last their tongues entwined the spark of arousal blossomed into full blown desire. It was not a frenzied desire born of passion and hotly burning lust, as it had been before. No, this desire was soft and warm, gentle and achingly tender. It was the physical manifestation of their soul's desire, each for the other.

"Sir, we're receiving a communication request on a First Order frequency." The young blond woman at the com station said.

"Put it through." Poe said, frowning.

A few taps and Rey's one quarter sized hologram image appeared.

"Rey!" Poe called happily. "We thought you were dead!"

"I'm alright!" She said, grinning. "Is everyone there alright?"

"We're all fine. The evacuation was completed hours ago." Poe said, then asked with obvious concern in his voice, "Where are you? Are you safe?"

"I'm aboard the First Order flagship." She replied. "I'm perfectly fine. Did you receive the message about the conference on Correlia?"

"We received it, we're still authenticating it." He said dubiously.

"It's authentic." She assured him. "I was standing right behind him when he sent it out."

"You were standing… Rey? Do you need help? Blink once for yes, twice for no." He leaned in to watch her eyes.

She laughed. "No, really, I'm ok... Ben and I have reached an…understanding."

"Who is Ben?" Poe asked, confused.

"Errm… Kylo Ren." She said awkwardly

"Don't trust him, Rey! He's evil! He'll destroy the whole galaxy given half a chance. That bogus proposal is just a trap, a way to bring his enemies together in one place to eliminated them." Finn cried out, shoving Poe out of the way so that it was him that she could see on her end of the call.

"Finn! It's good to see you!" She smiled. "It isn't like that at all! I promise you. The offer is real. It isn't a trap."

"You don't know that!" He argued vehemently.

"I do know it." She replied just as vehemently. "He's changed, Finn. He isn't like you remember him. He's different."

"Different isn't always better!" Finn insisted.

"Do you trust me?" She asked.

"Of course I trust you!" He scoffed, "I don't trust him."

She motioned with her hand and the man in question appeared beside her.

"Uh… hi." Ben said awkwardly and waved even more awkwardly.

Poe shoved Finn out of the way and leaned in toward the holo. "Ren! If you harm so much as one hair on her head, I swear by all that is holy, I will personally hunt you down and kill you!" Poe threatened ominously. "Release her, immediately!"

"She is free to go." Ben said mildly, ignoring the threat.

"I'm not a captive." Rey said reassuringly. "Come to the conference. I'll explain everything to you there."

"What? No way! I'm not walking into his trap." Poe said incredulously.

"Please, just trust me." She said. "I'll call you back in a few days. Take the time to think about what I said about him before I left."

Reaching with the Force she terminated the holocall.

"That went better than I expected." She said, turning to Ben.

He snorted. "Yeah, they're really warming up to me."

"They will." She said twining her arms around his neck. "Maybe not for a little while, but they will."

"I'm done talking about them right now." He said, leaning down to touch his forehead to hers.

She grinned. "Me, too."

She tilted her head back and kissed him on the tip of his nose.

"I'm telling you, she's in trouble." Finn insisted stubbornly. "We have to go rescue her!"

"Two freighters, one medical ship and two cruisers against 300 First Order Gunships?" Poe barked. "What do you expect us to do? She said she's fine. She didn't seem to be under duress. Let it go, Finn. She'll call back, we can get more information about her status when she does."

"What if she doesn't call back? He could be killing her, right now!" Finn said, exasperated.

"He could be kissing her, right now." Poe countered. "Did it look like they were fighting, to you? Because from what I just saw, it sure didn't look like it to me."

Finn tried to argue but Poe cut him off. "Look, I don't trust him any more than you do, ok? But remember what she said about him before she left! She said he's in love with her. She's all smiles right now, standing beside him. I'm pretty sure that means she's not in any immediate danger! Give it a few days. We'll see what she has to say then."

Finn was obviously not happy for the new couple when he thundered, "If he hurts her, I'm holding you personally responsible!" And stormed off.


	12. Chapter 12

One month later…

Rey moaned deep in her throat, a wave of pleasure rippled through her accompanied by an intense pulsating surge of Force energy that she could feel all throughout her body.

"Yes!" She gasped in awe. "Ben!" His name was a cry on her lips

He couldn't help but smile, the joy he found inside of her was like a caress to his soul. "Beautiful." He murmured.

Her wildly excited eyes and the breathless way she said his name made his bones melt. He still couldn't look at her without wanting to be inside of her- mind, body, heart and soul.

They had discovered so much about each other over the course of four short weeks.

Through the communion of their minds he had learned of the destruction of her light saber, her complete lack of knowledge of how to activate her massive reserve of Force energy, and he'd learned of her efforts to translate the ancient Jedi Texts.

He couldn't do anything about the Texts besides giving her unfettered access to the First Order data banks, linguistics weren't his strong suit.

He'd taught her to activate the well of Force energy within her during one of the numerous times they'd shared a single conciousness while exploring their connection.

And now, as he watched her twirl her newly built weapon he felt a deep satisfaction for having guided her through the process.

"It's perfect!" She exclaimed with joy.

She twirled the double bladed light-staff expertly. He became entranced by the fluid grace of her movements as she danced around the center of the floor flipping and twirling the staff this way and that. It suddenly occured to him to be thankful that she hadn't had this weapon when she'd wanted to kill him. Her skill with a saber might be lacking but, clearly, her skill with a staff was not.

"So are you." He said loud enough to be heard over the buzzing hiss of her flourishing blades.

She stopped playing with her staff, dropped it on the rumpled bed and sauntered over to where he sat tapping away on his datapad, putting the finishing touches on the presentation he intended to present at the Correlian Conference tomorrow.

She could feel how much he wanted to have that meeting done and over with so they could get on with their lives together.

"I was thinking…" He said with an air of nonchallance that she didn't buy for a second. He tapped a few more times on the data pad then set it down on the desk beside him. "Correlia has some absolutely beautiful places on it."

"I've heard that, too." She said, draping herself across his lap with one arm around his shoulders.

"We should take a trip to one of them, after the conference tomorrow." His voice crackled as she kissed his neck.

"Mhmm." She purred as she moved her lips to his bare shoulder.

He groaned. "I can't think with you doing that."

She cupped his face with her free hand and kissed him hungrily.

"Rey!" He gasped, pulling away from her just enough to look into her eyes.

She reached out to his mind with the Force and frowned. He was closing her out. She couldn't access him without forcing her way inside, which they'd both agreed not to do to each other. "What is it, Ben?"

He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again quickly. He tried to speak again and failed.

"What's wrong?" She was flooded with concern.

"This is harder than I'd imagined." He said with rueful twist of his lips.

"What is?" Her frown deepened.

"Asking you to marry me." He said soberly.

She gaped at him for a moment before recovering the ability to speak. "Take your time, then." She teased, beaming a smile at him. "I can wait."

Her words shattered the tension inside of him and he let out a bark of laughter. He kissed her briefly on the lips "Will you marry me, Rey?"

She tilted her head and chewed her lip. He might have thought she was considering it seriously, if not for the twinkle in her eyes and the way she was broadcasting her emotions to him with the force of a hurricane.

"Is right now too soon?" She asked soberly.

"It's not even soon enough." He countered and kissed her passionately.

"There is something I need to do first, though." He said pulling back from their kiss.

"Besides putting some clothes on?" She teased.

"Yeah, besides that." He chuckled.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's a suprise." He said mysteriously as he stood up with her in his arms. He carried her to the bed and tossed her on it.

He stepped into the refresher and emerged again a few minutes later fully clothed and looking every inch the Supreme Leader of the most powerful military in the galaxy. "Stay here. I'll come back for you." He said, crossing the room toward her.

"Where are you..?" She began before he cut her off by kissing her soundly.

"I'll come back, sweetheart. I promise." He said with a wink and ducked through the doorway, into the corridor.

She frowned. Those words were familiar to her, though she couldn't quite place where she'd heard them, not with her heart pounding and her head spinning from his kiss.

Several moments passed and she grew restless from not being able to figure it out. With a sigh she climbed off of the bed and dressed carefully.

She picked up her staff and twirled it idly. She'd used the crystal from her broken light saber and with instructions from Ben, she had been able to make the blade split itself into two smaller blades, one at each end of the telescoping four foot handle. The process had caused a change in the coloring of the blade, instead of a pale white/blue her blades glowed pale lilac. The twin blades ignited with a snap-hiss.

His words drifted through her mind again with a sudden tickle of spinechilling fear as she realized that she had heard those words the first time she'd touched the light saber. She reached out to join her mind to Ben's, seeking the comfort of his presence. She felt a rush of fear flit through his mind. A hot lance of pain exploded into his chest and then she felt nothing. She snapped back into her own mind and screamed at the pain of feeling their souls being ripped apart. Her mind, body, heart and soul was wracked with waves of pain so intense that for a moment pain was all that existed in the universe. She could feel every nuance of his soul being ripped away from hers.

It was a pain that had no equal...


	13. Chapter 13

Moments earlier...

The Captain of the Vader's Vengeance tapped in his authorization code then gawked at Ben, "My Lord, are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely." Ben said firmly.

"But, with all due respect, sir, this ship was named after your grandfather." Captain Glissando said with a touch of gentleness in his voice.

A month ago the man never would of questioned the order, but a lot had changed since then. Since his every channel communique the entire crew had warmed up to him quite a bit, none moreso than the Captain. The two of them had even begun to form a tenative friendship.

"It was," he agreed. "But I want my bride to be married on a ship who's name speaks of forgiveness, not vengeance."

"Married?" The Captain gasped.

"You will perform the ceremony." Ben informed him.

"Me?" The flustered man squeaked. "I'm not worthy of such an honor, My Lord!"

"And I'm not worthy of such a bride, we'll both just have to do what we can." Ben said smiling.

"When is the happy event?" Captain Glissando asked, his square face wreathed in smiles.

"In about five minutes." Ben grinned besottedly. "I just have to go and fetch my bride."

"Well, let me be the first to congratulate you!" Captain Glissando said, grabbing Ben's hand and shaking it enthusiastically.

"Thank you!" Ben smiled and started toward the door.

The door to the bridge hissed open and General Hux, accompanied by a dozen men with blaster rifles swept in. The smile faded from Ben's face.

"I am taking command of this ship and the First Order!" Hux said imperiously. "You are not fit to lead, Ren."

Ben felt a momentary shock as Hux marched straight up to him, blaster in hand. "You are a traitor and a rebel sympathizer." Hux spat at him.

Ben reached for his light saber, but it wasn't there, he'd forgotten it in his room! He grabbed Hux's throat in a Force choke. Something hit him hard in the ribs, he glanced down and saw Hux's blaster pressed over his heart. Fear shot through him, if he died now, Rey would be next!

There was a flash of red around the end of the barrel, where it touched his chest. Then searing pain. Then nothing.

Hux scoffed over the fallen body of his former Supreme Leader. "So much for the all-powerful Kylo Ren."

"Captain, I am the Supreme Leader, now." Hux said triumphantly. "When I return from killing the other Jedi scum, I expect to be commanding a ship named the 'Curr's Triumph.'"

"Yes, General." Glissando said with a subtle undertone of disgust in his voice.

"That's Supreme Leader, you insolent dog!" Hux said scathingly.

"Yes, Supreme Leader," Glissando barked loudly, then under his breath added, "you insolent dog."

The Communications Officer, Perez, was standing close enough to hear Glissando's added comment and snickered softly as Hux marched off the bridge.

As soon as the door whooshed closed behind him the mood of the bridge changed from one of professional efficiency to one of stunned disbelief. The crewmen left their posts to gather round their fallen leader.

"How could this happen?" Came a grief-stricken murmur.

"How can the Force allow this?" Asked another voice.

"All he wanted was to restore peace and prosperity to the galaxy!" Perez bleated.

Glissando's eyes welled up. "Hux is a filthy mutineer!" He snarled and glanced around at the circle of nodding heads. "I hope she tears him limb from limb."

A chorus of agreement went around the circle.

"If she doesn't, I say we should." He pressed on.

Shock turned to resolve on every face surround the fallen body of Ben Solo.

"I'm in." Said Perez.

What followed was a unanimous decision to relieve Hux of his command, and relieve the galaxy of Hux.

The bridge crew of the newly christened Redemption conspired quietly, kneeling around their young leader's corpse.

"There she is," General Hux's snarky voice broke through the haze of pain that infused Rey's entire being. "The Jedi whore who brought down the great Kylo Ren."

Rey didn't need to use the Force to sense his murderous intent, it was written all over him… In Ben's blood. Her rage flared to life.

Rey jumped to her feet as a dozen heavily armed men flooded into the room that she'd shared with Ben for the past month. They opened fire, a dozen blaster bolts zinged through the air, covering the distance between her and them in the blink of an eye. She welcomed the bolts, wanting nothing more than to die, right here, right now.

In her mindless pain fueled rage an awesome, raw power burst forth from within her creating a glorious spectacle. Her skin pulsed with blue-white light, like a light saber, and crackled with energy ribbons of pure scarlet as she was completely enveloped in armor made of pure Force energy. The bolts shattered against her skin like eggshells. She held the door closed with her mind as, with a feral snarl, she launched herself at the gunmen.

She tore them apart one by one with her bare hands and pure Force energy. They shot her repeatedly, to no effect as she launched herself from one to the next, ripping off body parts and flinging them away. Her eyes were glowing a bright electric blue with miniature bolts of red lightening roiling around and through them.

When she'd finished with his guards she lifted Hux's body into the air in a tight fist of pure energy. She could feel his terror and it made her shiver in anticipation. She squeezed until his bones shattered and then she kept squeezing until his entire body imploded, leaving behind nothing but a puddle of red, black and grey mush in a pool of blood.

She called her staff into her hand and dashed to the bridge. She screamed at the pain of seeing his ruined body and Force-batted aside the people that were kneeling over it. They flew backwards and landed in a circle around Ben's body, stunned, but alive and unhurt. She could feel their grief, that's the only reason she'd spared their lives.

She dropped to her knees beside him and placed one glowing hand over the charred, gaping wound in his chest. She poured all of her self… her love, her hate, her tenderness, her pain, her hope, her fear… her everything… into the gaping hole where his heart had been. She wept scarlet Force tears and drained her dying soul into his body, determined to share his fate.

For a moment she could feel him as if they were sharing a single conciousness, then everything went black.


	14. Chapter 14

Ben jolted into conciousness, clawing at his chest and screaming. His clawing hands struck flesh that wasn't his own. He looked down at his chest and recoiled in horror. Rey was lying next to him, drenched in blood. Her blood covered hand rested limply on his chest. He reached out to her mind but all he found within was an empty black abyss.

"Rey!" He wailed and frantically gathered her limp body into his lap. "No! No! No! No! No!" He keened and began to rock back and forth unconciously. "Please, no! No!" He sobbed. "Wake up! Please, baby, wake up!" The power of speech failed him until the only sounds he could utter were heart-breakingly pathetic whimpers.

'Rey!' He bellowed into the pitch-dark void of her mind. 'Wake up!'

Captain Glissando didn't need the Force to feel the younger man's pain. Overcome, he dropped to his knee and squeezed Ben's shoulder firmly. "You were dead, son." Glissando said gently. "Had a hole clean through you. She brought you back." He tapped his temple, "Take a look."

Ben plunged into the weeping man's mind and found the memory in the space of a single heartbeat. Glissando's eyes were fixed on the gruesome crater where his heart belonged. He could hear the hiss of the opening door and his eyes jerked toward it.

Through the Captain's eyes he watched as Rey skidded to a halt just inside the door. Shock spasmed through Ben at the sight of her. She was covered in blood, yes, but that wasn't what shocked him... Her entire body was ablaze with pale white-blue light, red tendrils writhed along her skin. Her eyes were twin pools of bright blue shot through with tiny red crackles of raw energy. Those terrifying eyes landed on Ben's body and she shrieked so loudly that the sound sent the stunned man flying through the air for a few skittering heartbeats. When he landed he looked up he saw her on her knees beside the ruined body.

Ben watched through Glissando's eyes as she collapsed onto his chest, crying out his name, begging him to come back. "Ben!" She cried. "Come back to me! You promised you would! You promised me! You promise! Ben! Come back! Come back for me! You promised! Come back!" Her pathetic sobs had jerked hot tears straight from Glissando's heart. "Don't leave me here alone!" She begged, covering the wound with her hands unable to bear the sight of it anymore. "Come back! Come back! Come back!" Her voice faultered until only the sound of her devastated sobs remained.

He could feel the awed amazement that had stunned Glissando when, through the older man's eyes, he watched his corpse begin to glow, feintly at first but brighter and brighter as the light faded from her. When the only thing still glowing about her was her hands, she collapsed sideways trapping one hand beneath her chest and leaving the other still holding his heart.

As he watched the last of the light fade from her hand it also began to fade rapidly from his body. When it was gone he saw himself arch backwards, screaming and clawing at her hand.

He snapped back into his own mind.

'Rey!' He screamed into the darkness, 'Come back!'

A faint echo of his voice came drifting back to him from far off. His heart lept and hope flickered to life inside him. 'Rey!' He screamed again, and the echo came back louder than before. 'Please! Come back!' He begged. 'Come back to me, Rey! I came back to you, sweetheart! Come back to me!" He pleaded.

"Come back!" He bellowed. "Come back to me, baby! Come back! Don't you leave me! Come back!"

His entire body began to quake as a surge of power stronger than anything he'd ever felt before pulsed through him. It built to a level far beyond anything he could have ever dreamed of. It burned so hot that he felt as if his skin had ignited. He threw his head back and screamed her name as his skin burst alive with pulsing white-blue light. Threads of scarlet energy began to form across his skin.

He was so deeply embedded into her mind that he felt the instant that the spark of life was ignited within her. 'Ben?' Her voice called back to him.

"Rey!" He gasped, jerking her away from his chest so that he could look at her.

"Ben!" She rasped, looking up at him with a dazed smile. "I thought I'd lost you!"

He couldn't speak, he couldn't think, he could only feel. Hope surged through him as the pain receeded into the background of his shattered soul.

He could feel that she could feel everything he was feeling. Pure, unadulterated joy began passing between them, growing stronger and stronger as it was reflected between them like an object caught between two mirrors. Neither of them even tried to resist it, they gave themselves over to it fully.

Captain Glissando threw his hand up to shield his eyes and took several steps backwards as both Jedi disappeared into the glare of a pulsing, blindingly bright, white light.

Their bodies and minds were intertwined as their souls fused back together. The sheer joy of their reunion was more powerful than even the pain of their parting had been. For several minutes nothing existed for them but each other and the joyful bliss of their mending connection.

As the last bits fused together the light faded away.

A not so discrete cough from Captain Glissando startled them both so much that they flinched apart looking towards him in perfect unison. He made a look there motion with his eyes and a quick jerk of his head.

Without even needing to look it registered in their shared conciousness that they were holding each other in a thoroughly private kind of way. Both faces turned bright red and they scrambled to disentagle themselves from each other, exuding embarrassment from every cell in their bodies.

"My apologies." They blurted out simultaniously as they gained their feet.

"Perfectly understandable." Captain Glissando said, dazed by the events of the past several minutes.

All around the room people's shock blossomed into awe which soon became awe-inspired reverence.

"You…" Ben rasped then cleared his throat. "You have the bridge, Captain."

They rushed to his quarters but when the door opened Ben jerked to a halt. "What the Force?" He half shouted and flinched back half a step.

"There are some clothes on the Falcon that should fit you." She said, looking at the carnage within their quarters with stunned disbelief. 'We can go somewhere beautiful and safe where we can be alone until the conference.'

He reached out and caught his light saber as it lept into his hand the moment he was ready for it. He clipped it to his belt and reached out for his datapad.

"Please tell me it still has the wet bar." He said dazed by the state of the room.

"It still has a refresher." She said, sorry to disappoint him.

"That will have to do." He said absorbing, from her mind, the details of how the room had gotten into such a state.


	15. Chapter 15

Rey and Ben walked up the ramp of the Millenium Falcon hand in hand. Ben came to an abrupt halt at the top, everything aboard the old crate was exactly as he remembered it, especially the smell. The smell of the ship was like ozone and grease tumbled together with dirty socks and wookiee sweat. It reminded him of his childhood so much that he could almost hear his father making a snarky comment.

At the thought of his father, Ben's insides twisted painfully.

Rey lifted their joined hands to her mouth and kissed his knuckles. 'I'm sure he would be nothing but proud of you.' She said soothingly into their shared mind.

'I… just need a minute.' He thought and then severed the connection, retreating into his own mind.

Rey watched him, not believing for a second that he was anywhere near as stoic as he appeared on the outside.

Ben knew as soon as he'd caught a whiff of that smell that he wasn't ready for this. He had known that being onboard this ship would hurt, but he hadn't thought it would hurt this much. He could almost feel his father caressing the scarred side of his face as he had done just before he'd fallen. Just after Ben had impaled him with his light saber.

"Why don't you go ahead and get cleaned up?" He suggested aloud. "I'll just… uh… hang around out here."

"Ben," Rey said gently. "You don't have to face this alone. Let me help you."

"I wish you could." He said, his voice hoarse with strong emotion.

"But this is something you need to deal with on your own." She finished for him.

"Yeah." He said trying not to break down and bawl.

"Alright." She said sadly. "I'll give you a few minutes alone, then."

Ben watched her go and felt, once again, like the luckiest man alive. Her understanding helped him to cope with the avalanche of guilt he was buried under.

He wandered over to the bulkhead wall across from the gaming table and pressed the panel that had always opened into his dad's personal liquor cabinet. The wet bar, his dad had called the shallow compartment with tall shelves lined in liquor bottles. The panel slid open with a hiss and he was nearly floored.

Sitting front and center amongst an array of brightly colored bottles was the clear, half-full bottle of Correlian Firewhiskey that Han had been carrying around for over four decades.

It was the bottle from which Ben had had his first taste of alcohol.

It was the middle of the night on his tenth birthday when his dad had smuggled him out of the house on Coruscant and taken him to the Falcon. He'd sat him down at the checkered gaming table then pulled the bottle out and sat down across from him.

"Don't tell your mother." Dad had said with one of his toothy smiles. "Or Chewie... He'll tell Leia on us."

"I wont tell nobody, dad!" He'd promised enthusiastically, thrilled to be sharing a secret with his idol.

"This bottle has been in my family since My great-great-great-grandfather, Hank Solo -did I ever tell you about him?" Dad paused a beat until Ben shook his head.

"No? Oh, well now, he was a real scoundrel." His dad gave him a wicked grin. "He stole this exact bottle from the personal liquor cabinet of Shuus Galadalontos himself."

"Who's Shoes Galalaladuts?" He frowned as his tongue tripped over the name.

"Shuus Galadalontos." His dad repeated the impossible name. "He was head of the Correlian thieve's guild almost two hundred years ago. The greatest thief this galaxy has ever known." The grin on his dad's face was sparkling with pride at his ancestor's daring feat.

"How did he do that?" Intrigued and excited Ben scooted to the edge of his seat.

"He … uh…" Dad looked a little bashful all of a sudden, then cleared his throat. "He was friends with ol' Shuus's wife. He stole it one night when he was sneaking out of Shuus's bedroom."

"Why was he in Shoeses room?" He asked, all innocence and glowing curiousity.

"I'll tell you more about that later." Dad said opening the bottle. "The important thing is… every since Hank stole this bottle, we Solos have had this tradition, you see… when one of us gets to be your age, we set down as father and son and drink a toast to old Hank." Han winked. "Double digits is a big thing to us, you know."

"Double digits?" Ben hadn't heard that expression before.

"Yeah, the big one-oh. You're growing up, kiddo." His dad poured a tiny bit into two little glasses, one for each of them.

"I am?" Ben's heart had swelled with hero-worship for his dad.

"You betcha!" His dad reached across the table and ruffled his hair. "Raise your glass, son, and repeat after me. Ready?"

Ben had eagerly raised his glass and then nodded.

"To Hank! May we be blessed with beautiful girls, fast ships, and good times, if they don't kill us young we'll live forever!" Dad grinned and waited patiently while Ben repeated the toast. Then they touched the rims of their glasses together and Dad threw his drink down his throat in one quick gulp.

Ben tried to copy how his dad had done that, but as soon as the liquid hit his throat he started coughing and hacking and spit the blazing hot drink all over the place.

Dad had laughed and wiped the whiskey off his face. "You're definitely a real Solo now, my boy."

"But, I spit it out!" Ben said, heartbroken.

"That's why we call ourselves Solo… because we only ever get to drink one shot of this, even though we make the same toast with our father and our son." His father had explained, grinning with mischief. "Don't worry, it's way better when you're the dad."

"So I get to be just Ben Solo, now?" Ben had asked, full of hope. He'd never liked being called Ben Organa-Solo.

"If you want," His father said in a warm tone. "But remember, you can't tell your mom about this. So you better think of a good reason to drop the hyphen." He'd warned.

"I will!" Ben said and clapped his hands together happily.

"Remember, kid," His father said more seriously than Ben had ever seen or heard of him being, before or since. "No matter what anyone tells you. No matter what anyone says about Organas or Skywalkers or the Force or whatnot… You'll always be a Solo."

"You mean it? No matter what?" Ben had asked, his little chest bursting with glowing pride.

"No matter what." His dad told him emphatically as he put the lid back on the bottle.

Ben cradled the bottle in his hands and burst into howling sobs.


	16. Chapter 16

Rey could hear his sobs over the flow of water falling onto her from the shower head three feet above. It hurt her heart to hear him in such pain, but she knew he would not welcome her intrusion. He'd been avoiding grieving for his father since the day he'd murdered him.

Ben wasn't just a Solo by name, he was a loner, like her. Sometimes a loner just needs some time to be alone, and this was one of those times. She understood that, even if it hurt to stay away when everything in her wanted to comfort him.

She knew that comfort wasn't what he needed right now, though, and that trying would only make him feel worse than he did already. What he needed was to come to terms with what he had done, and to do that he needed to be alone.

His howls stopped a moment after she stepped out of the shower, but the sound of his voice kept periodically drifting through the thin walls of the refresher. She could hear him talking but she couldn't make out what he was saying. The urge to slip into his mind was strong but she could feel that he wasn't ready to speak to her just yet.

"Don't you have enough problems without adding booze?" Came a sassy voice from behind him.

Ben spun around, his wracking pain instantly dissolved into utter shock.

"Mother?!" His disbelieving astonishment was written all over his face and saturating his voice.

It was definitely his mother, but unlike he had ever seen her in anything but a holograph. She looked to be about Rey's age, if even that. It was a very queer sensation, speaking to his mother while she appeared to be a decade younger than him.

"Hi Benji." She smiled at him radiantly.

She hadn't called him that since he'd been ten years old. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around what was going on but he had a bad feeling about seeing her like this.

"You've certainly done well for yourself." She said wryly with a pointed glance around at the interior of the Falcon.

He reached out to see if he could touch her and his finger went right through her forehead. He snatched his hand back. "How are you doing this?"

She laughed. "How do you think? Don't tell me you don't know your own mother is dead?" She scolded lightheartedly.

"Dead?" He choked.

"You see? This is what happens when you don't call home every now and then." She said with that tone that only his mother could achieve. "It takes you half a year to find out your mother is dead."

"Half a year?" He instantly felt betrayed. Rey had to have known and she'd hidden the information from him.

"Oh, don't look so hurt," She rolled her eyes and stopped teasing him. "She was going to tell you after this conference of yours. She didn't want to distract you. Saving the galaxy takes a lot of focus, trust me, I know."

"She's the best thing that ever happened to you, Benji."Leia said approvingly.

"She should have told me." He said, still clearly hurt that she hadn't.

"Don't be too hard on her. She loves you." Leia said gently.

"I know." He said confidently.

Leia laughed. "You're more like your father than you realize." The amusement in her voice was so foreign to him that he could barely reconcile it with the mother he had known since his boyhood.

"If I were like him I would have told Snoke to piss off when I first met him." Ben said, the picture of regret. "And dad would still be alive."

"Maybe." Leia said, putting her hands on her hips. "But he wouldn't want to be. His only regret about going first was that it hurt me." She said confidently. "But it all worked out in the end, he got to be happy that I died instead of being devastated by it."

"You've seen him?" Ben asked in surprise.

"Seen him? I can't get rid of him! Every since I died he's been stuck to me like we were newlyweds again." She smiled a dreamy smile. "He's more happy to be dead than he ever was to be alive." She grinned. "Frankly, It's kind of annoying. Incredibly endearing, but still a little annoying."

"He's happy?" Ben hadn't seen his father happy since mother had lost the baby… his little brother who was never born.

"He is... and he wants you to be, as well." She said with a gentle smile. "He forgave you before he even died, son. Don't you think it's about time you forgave yourself?"

"How can I?" He said sadly. "I murdered my own father in cold blood."

"It wasn't your fault, Ben. Snoke lead you astray." She reached up and cupped his scarred cheek. "I'm not upset at you, and he's not upset with you… you don't have to be upset with yourself." Leia coaxed gently. "Let us go, Ben. We're happy. We're glad to be where we are."

He was surprised to feel her hand on his face. He reached up to touch her hand but found only his cheek.

"What you've done is insignificant next to what you're doing now. You're finishing what we started. We couldn't be more proud of you!" She beamed at him and hugged him around the chest before disappearing abruptly.

He could feel the pain in his heart leave with her.

Dazed and overwhelmed he walked over to the table on numb feet and sat down heavily. He set the bottle of whiskey on the table and stared at it while he replayed his mother's words in his mind. He thought about his father and felt only sadness at having lost his dad. The suffocating guilt and self loathing were gone.

He reached out to Rey and slipped easily into her mind. 'I love you.' He thought to her.

'I love you, too.' She thought back with a burst of happiness. 'Can I come out now? Or do you need another minute to finish talking to whoever you were talking to?'

'Come out.' He thought. 'I have something to show you.'

She stepped out into the main cabin, clean and dry and looking so amazing that he almost swallowed his tongue.

She giggled. His reaction made it absolutely worth taking the time to dry her hair and apply cosmetics to her eyes and lips.

'Wow!' He thought, instantly forgetting everything but her.

'You're such a flirt!' She teased, turning a slow circle to give him a view of the whole picture.

'I didn't know you'd brought it with you!' He eyed the nighty with wide eyes and walked over to kiss her hungrily.

'That's because you wouldn't let me come down here to get it!' She chided, thrilled by his reaction. 'You need a shower, though, you're covered in blood.'

'I forgot.' He smiled down at her. 'You have that effect on me.'

'I know.' She smiled back. 'Shower. Now. Or I'm not taking this off.'

'Mmm, I'm completely alright with leaving it on.' He grinned roguishly. 'But not with what you mean by that. I'll be right back.' He kissed her quickly and dashed into the refresher.

'Is this bottle of whiskey what you wanted to show me?' She asked, picking it up and frowning at the label. According to the label it was very old. Handling the bottle gingerly she placed it next to the other bottles on the shelf she'd had no idea existed until a moment ago.

'No,' He replied, already under the water. 'This is.' He sent her the memory of what had just transpired between him and his mother.

'I'm sorry that I didn't tell you.' She said once the memory had ended.

"I understand." He said as he stepped out of the refresher dripping wet, completely naked and thoroughly aroused.

"Wow!" She said flashing her eyes at him in the way that she knew drove him mad.

In the blink of an eye he was kissing her and leaning her backwards over the table with one hand in her hair and the other on her thigh.

'Here?' She asked, a little shocked.

'Here. Now' He answered, completing their union as she welcomed him wholeheartedly.


	17. Chapter 17

"Rey," Ben shook her gently awake. "Wake up, sweatheart, we need to talk."

"What is it?" Sleep still written all over her, she twisted around to face him.

"We need to talk." He said and kissed her quickly. "But we need to have a drink first. Throw something on and come to the table."

He climbed off the narrow bunk that served as sleeping quarters aboard the Millenium Falcon taking the sheet with him and wrapping it around his waist as he headed into the main compartment.

Rey pulled her nightgown on over her head and followed after him.

She sat down at the table while he poured two shots from the old whiskey bottle she had put away just before they'd made love on that very table. "We're almost out of time." He said apologetically. "I have to get to the conference."

"I'm coming with you." She said instantly.

"That's what we need to talk about, but first, I need for you to have a drink with me." He slid one glass across the table to her.

"My great-great-great-great-grandfather, Hank Solo, stole this bottle of whiskey, from the bedroom of the greatest thief in the galaxy, almost two hundred years ago." He said solemnly. "My father told me that story a long time ago then we shared a toast to Hank from this bottle. Afterwards he told me the toast meant that I was a real Solo, from that moment on, no matter what."

He gazed into her eyes and took a ragged breath. "I can't bear the thought of leaving your side for even a moment until I know that you're my wife. Would you say a toast to Hank with me…" He asked with love written all over his face. "And become not just my wife but a real Solo as well?"

She blinked owlishly across the table at him then said with a dazzling smile. "Now that was a proposal worth waiting for." She raised her glass and looked at him expectantly.

Smiling broadly he raised his glass, tilting it slightly in her direction. "You have to repeat it before we drink." He warned before saying the toast. "To Hank! May we be blessed with beautiful girls, smart boys," He added for posterity. "fast ships, and good times. If they don't kill us young, we'll live forever!"

She repeated the toast, they clinked glass rims, and threw back the shot at the same time. They both choked and spat the whiskey all over everything, including each other, as soon as the molten liquid hit their throats.

"That's terrible!" Rey sputtered as she struggled to stop coughing.

"It's not as bad as I remember." He wheezed wondering how his father had managed to swallow the fiery liquor, let alone keep a straight face while doing so, on that long ago night.

"Please tell me I don't have to do that again." She wheezed back, holding her throat.

"No." He cleared his throat and spoke more normally as he put the cap back on the bottle. "Not until we do this with our kids."

It thrilled her through and through to hear him speak of a future that included them having kids. "So, does this mean that I'm a Solo now?"

"No matter what." He answered and for a short time they were both overcome with the emotional impact of the moment.

"We have to go now." He said when they finally pulled away from each other.

Rey strapped herself into the co-pilot seat and looked through the windows of the cockpit at a lush tropical meadow. A forest of vibrantly verdant trees stood across from a field that was alive with lilac grasses and wildflowers in an array of colors. The wide expanse of a shallow stream bisected the meadow directly infront of them. Neon bright algae in several hues clung to every stone and pebble in the stream. It was more beautiful than anything she could ever have imagined. "We'll have to get out of the ship next time." She said wistfully. "It's so beautiful here."

He grimaced as the Falcon raised off of the ground and tucked in it's landing gear.

"What?" She asked feeling his discomfort acutely. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Part of my proposal for this conference was that I would come alone and unarmed as a show of good faith." Before she could protest he continued quickly. "They'd never trust me enough to show up if I hadn't promised them that much." He eyed her for a second while she chewed on that. "I was going to make you the same promise as part of my plan to get you to talk to me last month." He radiated nervous energy but his outward demeanor was nearly calm.

"Are you mad?" She asked, both shocked and terrified at the same time. "They'll kill you before you reach the ground!"

"They wont kill me if they have nothing to gain from it." He said still feigning a casual that she could tell he certainly wasn't feeling. "As soon as we reach the Redemption I'm naming you Supreme Leader."

"What?" She was taken completely off guard. "I don't want to lead the First Order."

"They wont risk killing me while my wife is standing by on the bridge of the most powerful ship in the galaxy with the entire First Order fleet at her command." He explained this bit of his plan with a dismissive shrug. "They aren't that foolish." He glanced at her. "If all goes well, you'll be turning the fleet over to a new galactic federation before long."

"What if it doesn't go well? What if they do kill you?" She'd already experienced the pain of losing him once in the past twelve hours, she wasn't ready to risk that again.

"If they kill me, I suggest you use the fleet to get rid of them all while you have the chance." Seeing her frown he added, "The only way to forge peace is by either getting these people to agree to it or by getting them out of the way of those who will."

"So, you have been setting a trap all along?" She was hurt and angry. "You're using the promise of peace to gather all of your enemies in one place so you can destroy them?"

"It's out of my hands once we reach the ship. Whether it becomes a trap or not is up to you." He peered at her with a look of such intensity that she was tempted to slip into his mind despite the request he'd made before leaving the Redemption, that she stay out of his mind until this was over.

She thought about that for a minute, then narrowly failed at her attempt to smile and mused, "You're more of a gambler than I would have guessed."

"Well," He gave her a grin that melted her heart and her bones. "I am a Solo."

A moment later a disturbing thought crossed her mind and she glared at him. "What would have happened if I had waited at the base for you to show up and then killed you?" She asked.

"I was going to name you Supreme Leader before I came down there." His smirk bloomed into a full blown roguish grin, "I like it better this way, though. I get to give you the galaxy as a wedding gift." She still looked to be on the verge of tears so he added, "Smile, this will be a story to tell our grandchildren someday."

"Assuming we live that long." She grimaced, scared half out of her mind by the very real possibility that they wouldn't.

"If they don't kill us young…" He prompted.

"We'll live forever." She finished with a watery smile.

A moment later her smile faded. "Promise you'll come back to me."

"I'll haunt you if I have to." He promised with all his heart and soul then made the jump to lightspeed.


	18. Chapter 18

After a quick stop by their blessedly restored quarters aboard the Redemption for a change of clothes, because Ben refused to wear his father's any longer than necessary, the pair swept onto the bridge hand in hand. Rey wondered how many droids it had taken to clean the blood and gore from every surface of the room. A lot, she figured.

"Mr. Perez, open a line to every frequency." Ben said immediately as they cleared the doorway.

Perez did so then gave him a nod to go ahead.

"This is Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, of the First Order." He took a deep breath. "At this time I would like introduce my wife, Rey Solo, who will be taking over as Supreme Leader. For those of you who do not know Rey, she is a member of the rebel faction known as 'the Resistance.' She is an orphan from the planet Jakku and has been trained by Luke Skywalker as a Jedi. I hereby resign my position as Supreme Leader and raise, in my stead, Rey Solo as Supreme Leader of the First Order." He nodded to her.

"What? No, I can't…" She whispered.

"You have to." He hissed back.

"Uhm. Hello," She looked at him desperately.

He squeezed her hand gently and breathed into her ear. "Reorder the ceasefire."

She cleared her throat. "I am Rey Solo." She was so nervous she started sweating profusely. "My first official act as Supreme Leader is to pardon Ben Solo, also known as Kylo Ren, of any and all crimes he may have commited or caused to be commited while under the influence of the Dark Side." She swallowed a gulp of air.

"My second act is to reissue his ceasefire decree. Any First Order ship that fires it's weapons without my express permission will be immediately destroyed. I am also extending his policy on mutany until further notice."

They exchanged a look.

"It is my hope to form a lasting bond of peace through diplomacy, and as such, my husband, Ben Solo will represent the First Order at this meeting that he has called for. He has my full faith to negotiate on behalf of the First Order. If anyone attempts to harm him I will not hessitate to order that person's immediate termination." He gaped at her as she finished saying that. "Good luck to us all, and may the Force be with us as we build a new future together." She looked at him, he tipped his head toward Perez. She looked at Perez and nodded. Perez hit a button and nodded back.

She rounded on Ben.

"What were you thinking, making me speak to the entire galaxy with absolutely no warning?" She was panting and sweating as if she'd just finished a grueling workout.

"You did fantastic!" He hugged her and spun around with her in his arms, kissing her soundly.

"I was so scared, I almost fainted!" She protested but hugged him back fiercely.

"I'm so proud of you!" He said, setting her back down on her feet. "I wish we had more time!" He lamented, kissing her again.

"Me, too." She held him tightly and said raggedly. "I don't want to let you go."

"I have to go." He said gently. "But I will come back for you, sweetheart, I promise."

"You better." Her heart was in her eyes as she watched him walk off the bridge. He stopped at the door and grinned that Solo grin at her before disappearing into the corridor.

"Captain, If anyone fires on my husband blow them out of the sky." She said and took her place before the view screen to watch over his descent to the planet below.

"It will be my sincere pleasure, My Lady." Glissando said, choking back his emotions. He couldn't help feeling emotional from watching their goodbye after what he had witnessed the day before. "All hands to battle stations, prepare to fire on any ship that fires at Mr. Solo." He ordered in a ringing voice.

It was a tense fifteen minutes before Ben's shuttle disappeared into Correlia's atmosphere. Rey began pacing like a caged beast, chewing on her nails and silently begging the Force to watch over him.

"If something happens to him…" She said, coming to a halt in front of Glissando. "On that planet, and I'm too overcome to issue an order, I want you to turn that meeting spot into a smoking crater, Captain."

"Gladly, Supreme Leader."

"Rey." She said.

"I beg your pardon, My Lady?" He asked her with eyes bulging.

"My name is Rey Solo." She said forcefully. "Call me Rey, or Mrs. Solo, if you can't bring yourself to do that."

"My apologies, it would not be fitting, in a military setting, to refer to you by your name." He protested.

"This is no longer a military setting, Captain. It's a diplomatic convoy that just happens to have a lot of fire power." She smiled uncomfortably. "I am a nobody from nowhere and it makes me uncomfortable for you to call me 'My Lady' or 'Supreme Leader,' so please don't."

"How about ma'am?" He asked, feeling nearly overwhelmed with affection for his new leader.

She hessitated for a beat then smiled at him. "I hate it, but if you can't call me Rey, I suppose it will do."

"Yes, ma'am." He bowed jauntily and smiled at her warmly. "May I speak freely for a moment, ma'am?"

"Please do!" She said in relief.

"I don't think the Force brought the two of you back from the dead yesterday to let either of you die today." His words were low and gentle. "Have faith in that and try not to stress yourself sick while he's not here."

"Thank you, Captain." She did feel somewhat soothed by his words, and told him so. "That does bring me comfort."

"But you're not going to draw an easy breath until he's back on board." Glissando finished for her.

"I'm afraid not." She smiled ruefully and went back to pacing.

Rey paced and worried herself nearly sick the entire first hour he was gone. In her mind she constructed a hundred different nightmarish scenarios for the outcome of the risk he was currently undertaking.

Finally, unable to stand the tense silence any longer she turned to the Captain. "What made you join the First Order, Captain?"

Over the next few hours she learned the life stories of nearly everyone on the bridge. They all credited her with the change in both their former leader and their mission and were quite happy to form bonds of friendship with their young new leader.


	19. Chapter 19

As soon as he stepped out of the shuttle in the Redemption's main shuttlebay Ben caught Rey against his chest as she flew into his arms and captured his mouth with hers. He felt her try to slip into his mind but rebuffed her. He wasn't quite ready for that just yet. He slipped into her mind instead, 'Soon, my love.' He promised and then pulled away.

She frowned up at him. "What is it?"

"We need to talk first." He replied looking as though that was not something he was looking forward to.

She could feel his level of nervousness rise with every footstep as they walked to their quarters.

Once inside she asked, "Did the conference not go well?"

"It went well enough." He replied dismissively. "There will be a holoconference in a month. They want to meet you themselves."

Sensing that there was definitely something bothering him she asked, "And?"

He stared at the wall over her head for a moment as she could actually see and feel the mask he donned to hide himself from her. "Ben?" She asked, clearly worried. "What is it?"

He stood stiffly staring over her head.

She stood up on tip toes and kissed the tip of his chin. "Talk to me, what is it?"

"Maybe you should sit down first." He said finally, his voice, like his face devoid of emotions.

Rey could feel nothing coming from him and it made her feel as if she was missing half her heart. She sat down, stiffly alert, in his desk chair and he peered at her tensely before he began to speak. "Rey," he began as if repeating something he had practised saying many times. "First, let me start by saying thank you. Thank you for the past month… for loving me… for showing me the path back from total darkness." As he spoke his mask slipped considerably until she could see and feel his guilt. "I love you, I want to be with you every moment for the rest of eternity." He raked a hand savagely through his hair. "I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me."

"What did you do?" Her senses went on high alert, ready for anything.

"I couldn't show you everything, I had to keep some things hidden from you. Some important things. Until this plan was in motion I couldn't risk losing you." He eyed her warily for a moment. "If you want me to go after this, just say the word."

"You aren't making any sense. After what?" She reached out to his mind.

'This.' He thought and then flooded their shared conciousness with a memory that she had never seen in his mind before.

As the image stabilized she could feel the dry oppressive heat rolling off of the red-orange sand around him and feel the pain in his eyes from the glaring sun. He hurried to keep up with a tall man with brownish blond hair in a brown robe. She could feel his annoyance as his boots slipped and slid through the loose sand.

Everything about the place reminded her of home. The heat. The sand. The smell. The sounds. Even the color of the sand.

He wondered in annoyance why Luke had them traipsing around the desert in the heat of the day but refused to ask again. The last time he had asked, Luke had told him to stop being a baby. 'I'm not a baby!' He thought angrily at Luke's back. 'I'm almost Thirteen!'

Rey was startled to learn that she was in a memory of his from so long ago, and wondered why he could possibly be afraid to show her this memory.

"There! See? I told you it was right over this dune." Luke said triumphantly pointing over the crest of the sand dune they'd been climbing.

"You said that about the last ten dunes." The sound of his childlike voice startled Rey. She hadn't ever met a human boy his age, she hadn't expected him to sound any different than how she'd always known him to sound.

"Well, I was right about this one." Luke said with a grin and started down the powdery sand dune toward a halfburied shipwreck that had only become visible from the top.

At the bottom of the dune the duo approached the wreckage carefully. "Hello!" Luke shouted. "Anybody home?"

"Don't move or I'll shoot!" Came a harsh voice from inside of the blown out bridge of a crashed rebel cruiser in front of them. "Wha'ya want here, stranger?" The voice added after a moment.

"I came here to find somebody very important." Luke called back.

"I got a blaster pointed at ya! That's the only important thing you need to know! Now, who are ya?" Came the cantankerous reply.

Rey could feel Ben's mild suprize at finding out the reason for their trip through the hot desert.

"My name is Luke Skywalker, I am a Jedi Master, this young gentleman is my apprentice, Ben. We've come to speak to you about someone who is inside that shipwreck." Luke called back calmly.

"You're 'The' Luke Skywalker? The one who killed the Emperor and Darth Vader?" The voice asked.

"I am the Luke Skywalker that helped cause the downfall of the Empire, yes." Luke called, stepping forward carefully. "Can we talk inside? It's a bit hard to have a conversation like this."

A stoop shouldered old man stepped into the light holding what appeared to be a rusty stormtrooper blaster rifle down by his side. He had a grizzled grey beard and brown leathery skin. "I reckon you come for the girl, huh?"

"The girl?" Luke asked and his shoulders slumped a little too.

"The little girl me'n Ebby found out at the shipwreck graveyard by Neema Outpost." The old man motioned them forward. "Always figgered somebody'd come lookin' for her someday."

The inside of the wreck was pitch black after hours in the glaring sun. Ben followed blindly as the old man, who introduced himself as Guffy, lead them deep inside the belly of the wreck.

Finally he shoved open a door and light flooded out from a room that appeared to be a on old mess hall, many of it's tables still bolted to the floor and stacked with piles of bits and bobs from the wrecks that littered the nearby desert. "Ebby! Wake up, darlin', we got visitors."

The old woman lay under a table on a pile of rags, sweating dispite the cool clamminess of the room. As she came awake she began to shake and moan.

"What's wrong with her?" Ben whispered to Luke but it was Guffy who answered.

"She aint had no med'cin in a few days. Old girl caint go without it, ya'know?" Guffy said, shaking his head sadly.

Ben looked askance at Luke. Luke made a motion with his hand and Ben realized that the old codger meant booze when he said medicine. His already low opinion of the junker fell even further.

Ben looked around at the squallor and wondered how anyone could live like this. That's when he saw a pair of huge brown eyes staring up at him from under the closest table. He flinched then felt upset for it.

The girl was far from scarey. In fact, she was rather adorable despite the smudges of grease on her nose and forehead. Her hair could have been brown or blond, it was too filthy and snarled to tell. She stared intently up at him, unsmiling, unblinking.

He squatted down and looked at her just as intently. After a moment he smiled and offered her his hand. "Hi, there. Who are you?"

She looked at his hand but didn't reach for it.

"I'm Ben." He said, trying to be friendly. "What's your name?"

She stared at him another moment then said shyly, "Reyso."

"Reyso?" He smiled, "You can come out of there, I wont hurt you, I promise."

"What's that?" Guffy said, glaring at Ben. "Oh, ya found her. Get out here, girl! These people wanna see ya."

"She's a baby!" Luke complained loudly when the little girl walked out from under the table and pressed herself against Ben so hard he fell over and wound up with her clinging to him from on his lep.

"She aint no baby, she's almost three. She aint even in nappies no more." Guffy said indignantly. Then added, almost as an after thought, "We call her Rachael, after Ebby's dear departed mama."

Ebby moaned at the mention of her name, but didn't speak. She just lay there shaking, panting and sweating.

Ben was too busy trying to peel the little girl off of him to pay attention to the conversation going on across the room as Luke pulled the old man aside to speak to him.

"Rachael," Ben started to say but she cut him off with a fierce little growly-groan.

"Reyso!" She insisted, gripping the front of his tunic and glaring up at him.

"Reyso," He started again. "Can you let go of my shirt?"

She shook her head.

"Please?" He asked nicely.

"No!" She said loudly and threw her surprizingly strong little arms around his neck, clinging to him so hard her shoulder was nearly choking him. "My Ben!"

Ben met Luke's troubled gaze from over the little girl's shoulder. Luke looked back at the old man and frowned before nodding his head and placing a few coins in the old man's hand. He walked over to Ben and extended a hand to help Ben stand up with the toddler still clinging to him like a vine.

"Let's go." Luke said, his eyes clouded with emotion.

Ben tried to set the girl down but she wrapped her legs around his middle and screamed bloody murder right into his ear. "Noooo! Nooo! My Ben! Nooo!"

"May as well keep ahold of her, she's going with us." Luke said with his voice full of resignation.

Ben gaped at him.

The little girl gave a happy squeal and stopped trying to strangle him with her shoulder for long enough to smack a big sloppy toddler kiss right on his cheek.

Minutes later, she waved happily at Guffy as the trio of man, boy and girl left him staring after them in the blazing Jakku sun. "Bye-bye!" She called in a sing-song voice from the cradle of Ben's arms.

The memory faded and Rey blinked up at Ben. "Luke Skywalker is the one who bought me?"

"There's more." He said softly.


	20. Chapter 20

"More?" Rey felt dread beginning to build in him.

"Much more." He said and trodged over to sit down on the edge of the bed. He dropped his head into his hands and sighed. "I promised myself that once I had given you the fleet and got people to agree to talk to you I would show you everything. I'm sorry I didn't show you sooner, I just… I needed time with you."

"Ben, whatever it is…" She walked over to sit beside him and took his hand in hers. "I can handle it. I love you. Apparently, I always have, and I definitely always will."

They shifted around to face each other on the edge of the bed, each with one foot still on the floor.

She said encouragingly. "What happened next?"

"We took you back to Yavin with us. You slept the whole way there, curled up on my lap like a pet. Everytime I tried to put you down you'd wake up and scream at me." He smiled wistfully. "You were a wild little thing. So fierce!"

"Show me." She said with a frown.

He slipped into her mind and she slipped into his. 'This is a good one.' He said and smiled as the memory began to play in their shared conciousness.

"No!" She bellowed, clutching two tiny fistfulls of his hair. "Nooooooo!"

Ben's scalp was on fire where she jerked at his hair.

Luke laughed from across the room. "You might need a bigger tub."

"She'll fit in this one." He grumbled back.

"I don't think she's ever had a bath before." Luke was enjoying this way too much as far as Ben was concerned. "You might need to get in with her so she's not so afraid."

"I am not getting in the bath with her!" Ben was shocked and mortified at the prospect.

"Your clothes can be dried, but her dirt isn't going away on it's own." Luke pointed out. "You're both dressed, anyway, think of it like swimming… in warm water." They had both agreed that if they were going to have to take care of a little girl it wouldn't hurt to wash her in her clothes, especially this time, since her clothes were just as dirty as she was.

"Swimming? She might go for that! Can I take her down to the stream? To swim? I'll take the soap along." He asked, full of hope.

"In the dark? No way, too dangerous." Luke shook his head. "The tub will have to do."

Ben tried again to pry her off of him, but she wasn't having it. "No-No! Ben!" She clamped his temples between her chubby little baby hands and her eyes bored into his. In an instant he saw a muddy watering trough with a bloated bird carcass floating on it. The bird's eyes were covered in a milky film and he could smell the rank odor pouring off of it. A moment later the picture shifted and it was her floating face up in the tub with white milky film over her eyes.

Ben was shocked. "Luke?" He said, scared half to death but trying hard not to show it. "Something wierd just happened."

"What?" Luke didn't sound concerned.

"She just showed me why she's scared." Ben said shakily.

"What?" Luke walked over to where Ben stood with Rey's hands still pressed to his temples.

"Can you show Luke?" Ben asked her, trying hard to sound like what she'd just done was a good thing.

"No." She pouted. "My Ben."

"Can you show Ben, again?" Luke asked encouragingly and Ben felt his uncle probe his mind.

The image flashed through Ben's mind again and Luke frowned. "Did she just show you something? Your mind went black."

"Black?" Ben started shaking.

"It's like your mind disappeared for a few seconds." Luke said, fear evident in his voice.

"Ben?" She asked. "Scared?"

Ben was scared, but he didn't want to admit it in front of Luke any more than he wanted to scare her so he tried his best to smile. "No, I'm not scared of you." He hugged her to him for a moment and looked at Luke, his mind screaming 'what's happening?'

"Later." Luke said quietly. Then louder he asked Rey "How about if Ben gets in the water with you? Would you like that?"

An image flashed through Ben's mind of him sitting cross legged in the tub with her in his lap. "Ben!" She said affirmatively.

"She showed you something, just now, didn't she?" Luke said as if he'd discovered something new. "I felt a tremor in the force just then."

"She wants me to get in with her." Ben confirmed.

"Well, get her cleaned up, I'll go see if I can find something dry that she can put on when she gets out." He hessitated. "Do you think she can change on her own?"

"I hope so... Just get her one of my shirts." He said to Luke and then to Rey, "I have to put you down to take my boots off, alright?"

She looked heartbroken but nodded and allowed him to set her on her feet long enough to take his boots off. "Me up!" She demanded.

"You down." He said. "You need yours off, too."

She tilted her head at him.

He mimicked her and pointed to her feet.

"Shoos!" She said and plopped down to thrust one little foot toward him. "Shoos Ben!"

He squatted down and took her shoes off for her then tickled her feet while she giggled and squirmed.

When Luke returned Ben stepped into the small wooden tub minus only his boots and sat down, crosslegged in the tepid water. He lifted her into the tub and settled her on his lap.

It didn't take her long to start to enjoy the water, but getting some in her nose while splashing cured her of that pretty fast. She howled the whole time he soaped her up and even louder when he wet her hair and soaped it up too.

By the time he had her rinsed off he was covered in soap and bearing a whole array of scratches and a few bite marks. He passed her off to Luke and splashed water on his face to get the soap out of his stinging eyes.

"Maybe we should look for a nanny for her." Luke yelled over the sound of her screams as Ben stepped dripping from the tub.

"Yeah!" Ben agreed, wiping a trickle of blood from the back of his hand onto the leg of his pants.

"When we finally got you changed I had to get changed too, and I could hear you screaming from two huts over the whole time I was gone." He smiled wistfully at the memory. "You wouldn't even lay down unless I laid down with you, but once I did we both fell right to sleep."

He looked at her then and his smile dissolved. "That was the first time I saw him..." He took a deep breath. "I should have told you sooner..."


	21. Chapter 21

"That first night, when I fell asleep holding you…" He raked a shaking hand through his hair and let the memory speak for itself.

Rey felt her stomach roil as the swirling colors of the dream, the throbbing sound of a heartbeat, the rancid odor of decay all hit her at once.

A voice, low and menacing, hissed through the swirl of putrid air. At first the words weren't clear, but as the thrum of heartbeats grew faster the voice grew louder.

"Come to me." It said in a low purring growl.

Rey heard Ben's terrified voice call into the dizzying swirl, "Who are you?"

"Closer, child." The voice purred menacingly.

Despite his fear Ben shouted, "Who are you?" His voice echoed, growing louder as it reverberated in time with the throbbing beat of his heart.

A face formed for the briefest of glimpses then faded back into the swirl of colors. It was a hideous face, deformed and swollen… Snoke's face, Rey realized with a gasp.

"Yesss." The voice hissed. "I ssssee you now." There was a triumph in that hiss that made Rey's skin crawl. "Blood of Ssskywalker..."

A scream jerked Ben awake. She was lying half on his chest and half on the narrow cot that he had meant to sneak out of once she was asleep. She jerked awake and turned her head to peer at him in the near darkness. "Reyso scared." Her voice trembled.

"I'm scared, too." He whispered and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Go back to sleep, little one." He said softly as the trembling subsided.

"Bad man." She whispered. "Bad man get Reyso."

"I wont ever let him get you." Ben swore. "I promise."

"My Ben." She said dreamily and settled back into sleep.

"I stayed awake the rest of the night, too afraid to go back to sleep." Ben said raggedly.

She frowned. "Was that the first time you ever dreamed of him?"

He nodded, staring at his hands. "After that he came to me in my dreams whenever I was alone." He looked at her and his eyes were swimming in pain. "At first he acted sympathetic toward me. He was angry at my parents for sending me away. Angry at Luke for leaving me behind while he scoured the Galaxy for more students. Angry that I wasn't good enough for Luke to accept as his only apprentice. I didn't know he was just reading my thoughts and using them against me." He started picking at his fingers, clearly agitated. "By the time I figured that out it was way too late for me."

"After a while I started to agree with him. My parents would not have sent me away if they had loved me. My uncle was only using me to help teach his school while he was off galavanting around the galaxy looking for a worthy apprentice."

He stopped picking his hands and looked at her. "He could never convince me that you were a burden, though. I liked teaching you and taking care of you. You looked at me like I was the greatest thing in the galaxy. You made me feel loved even while he worked to convince me that nobody cared about me."

He looked back down at his hands. "You never gave me a moment's peace. You were always following me around, asking me questions. I think you learned to talk as fast as you did just so you could talk my ears off." The affection he still held for the little girl she had been washed over Rey and she understood how much he had loved being around her, especially when she was driving him half mad with her antics.

"More often than not, you'd sneak into my room in the middle of the night. I only ever slept well when I had you to hold onto." He added with a sad smile. "I guess some things never change."

Reaching out, he took a lock of her hair between his fingers and rubbed it thoughtfully. "I remember the first day I tried teaching you to lift things with the force. You were five, I think, it was windy and hot and you were getting so mad because your hair kept blowing into your eyes. You wanted to cut it all off, short like mine." He mocked a horrified look. "I tried tying it up for you but it hurt your head to have it all in one tie." He smiled warmly at the memory. "We wound up wasting most of the afternoon tying your hair up. I must of tied it a dozen different ways before I found a style you liked." He gave her a lopsided grin. "You were still wearing it like that on Takodona."

"I always wore it like that. I thought…" She swallowed hard. "I thought it would help my parents find me."

He sighed and continued sadly. "That was the night that Snoke figured out how much you meant to me. He saw that memory and he was enraged by it." His eyes clouded over. "I had to get some distance from you, he threatened to visit you in your dreams to see what it was that made you so special to me. So, I stopped letting you crawl into bed with me, stopped letting you follow me around all day. It hurt. I could sense how confused and hurt you were but I had to protect you from him. I couldn't risk him coming after you. You were too precious." She could feel that he wanted to say more but he forged ahead.

His face hardened and she felt revulsion coming off of him. "Then one night, about a year later, he told me that I had to kill you. He spent months working up to that, filling my head with images of whole planets on fire. You would cause that, he told me, and it would all be my fault, all my fault if I didn't kill you right then, that night. 'Wake up!' He told me, 'Kill the girl before it's too late! Kill her, kill Skywalker, kill them all!'" He swallowed a sob. "I woke up and found Luke standing over me with his light saber blazing. I knew then that Snoke was right about everything. Luke feared and hated me. My parents were afraid and ashamed of me…"

"You didn't kill me." She squeezed his hand.

"I couldn't kill you." He said harshly. "I was in such a rage when I walked into your room that night, but when you saw me you lit up like you couldn't be more happy that I was there. The way you looked at me brought me back to myself." He was panting now. "I killed so many people that night." He swallowed down the bitter taste in his mouth. "Kids, grown ups, it didn't make a difference. I killed them all. I made a few of the older boys help me burn the bodies of the littlest ones. I told them I'd let them live if they did as I said. I killed them though, before I reached Snoke's ship." His guts twisted at the memory of his betrayal of those boys. "I had to do it, they knew."

"What did they know?" She prompted when he fell into a morose silence. She hated what he was saying, what he was feeling, but he needed to say it and she needed to hear it.

"That I hadn't killed you, that I couldn't. They knew where I left you, what I did to protect you." He said grimly. "They knew too much."

"Why don't I remember even a tiny bit of this?" She asked, frowning.

He took a shaky breath. "You don't remember any of this because I destroyed those memories. I entered your mind and I wiped away everything you had ever known. I left you on Jakku with no memories at all. I killed those boys and then I wiped away all of my memories of you." He scowled, "Snoke was always in my mind, reading my thoughts, sifting through my memories. I couldn't even let the thought of you enter my mind. The truth of who you are was the only thing I ever managed to keep hidden from him." He looked at her then with terror emanating off of him. "That's why I had to wipe you out of my memory... If he had discovered who you really are…" He trailed off in a whisper.


	22. Chapter 22

"Who am I?" She asked with bated breath.

He dropped his eyes back to his hands and remained silent for a time. When he finally spoke his words confused her. "Do you know who my grandfather was?"

"Your grandfather?" She asked, bewildered. "What does he have to do with me?"

"Do you know of him?" He asked again.

"Of course I know of him, who doesn't know of Darth Vader?" She gaped at him.

"Do you know who his parents were?" He asked leadingly.

"His parents?" She tried to remember if she had ever heard anything about them. "No."

"After I joined Snoke I became obsessed with my grandfather. It took me several years, but eventually I was able to track down nearly every detail of his life." He blew out a puff of air and braced himself. "His mother was a slave from Tatooine but his father…" He hessitated a moment, then plunged ahead. "He didn't have a father."

She frowned. "Everybody has a father."

He shook his head. "The Force was his father."

"That's ridiculous." She argued.

"It's true. I found a file in the old empirial network… a copy of some old Jedi council archives… Every member of the Jedi council believed it to be true." He flashed the memory of reading the file into her mind.

She shivered. "Let's say I believe that Darth Vader was half man and half Force… what does that have to do with me?"

"About a year after we found you, Luke was teaching me to read minds. When I finally managed to get into his I saw something unbelievable in there." He hessitated then explained. "Luke went back to talk to the junkers on Jakku about a month after we found you. I thought he was out looking for more students, but he wasn't, he was looking for more information about you."

"He read the memory from the old woman's mind, and I read it from his. Both of us dismissed it as a drunken delusion at the time, but what happened yesterday… I have to believe it now."

Her skin prickled at the sound of his voice, he was looking at her like she was some sort of god. Suddenly, she didn't want to know what he had seen in Luke's mind. Before she could protest the memory swirled into her head.

Rey could taste the stale whiskey on the old woman's tongue, feel it's effects on her mind and body.

Ebby followed her husband through the wreckage of a crashed rebel cruiser. They had found a bottle of whiskey here the day before and came back today to look for more. The ship was tilted to one side by several degrees, making it difficult for Ebby to manage the cracked and broken floors, but she was a game old bird and kept up well enough with Guffy.

"Here it is, Ebby. The Captain's quarters, this is where I found that pricey bottle."

Like most salvage trips Ebby and Guffy had split up yesterday to cover more ground in their search for valuable bits and bobs. "If you hadn't opened that bottle we coulda sold it off and bought ten bottles with it!" She grumbled for the umpteenth time since they'd finished drinking the whiskey in the wee hours of the night before. Guffy ignored her for the umpteeth time.

"Here. See? The cabinet's empty." Guffy said, holding open the doors of a utilitarian locker cabinet. "I told ya, aint no more of that sweet stuff in here."

"Did ya check unner the bed?" Ebby asked cantankerously. "Or in here?" She lifted the lid of an old footlocker and waved her glowrod around the inside.

"Woman, aint nobody never put no bottle of fine whiskey unner the bed." Guffy rolled his eyes at her.

Ebby rifled through the jumble of possessions inside the footlocker. Disappointed at finding nothing of value she slammed the lid closed and glared at Guffy. "Aint nobody never wasted such a fine bit o'drink on the likes a you afore neither. Check unner the bed!" She demanded and turned to rifle the desk.

They tossed the room with practiced proficiency but found nothing else of value.

After deciding that the room was cleaned out they moved on down the corridor to the next room, then the next. In the fifth room Guffy found a few credits tucked inside a pillowcase and whooped with joy. "Huzzah! Ebby old girl, what say we go get ourselfs a drink?"

Ebby was the closest to the door so she strolled out into the dark corridor, glowrod in hand. Terror ripped a scream from her throat when there came a flash of blue-white light on the floor in front of her. She screamed again as the naked baby girl that had materialized from the flash started crying.

"What you squallin' fer?" Guffy grumbled, coming through the open doorway. He stopped to gape at the baby. "Wher'd that come from?"

"Jus' appeared outta nowhere!" Ebby cried, clasping her trembling hands to her boney chest.

"Well, aint that sumptun." Guffy said, not believing a bit of it. "It's mama gotsta be 'round here sumwhur. Just leave it."

"I'mma tellin' you that baby just appeared outta thin air right afore my eyes, Guff! Thur was a flash o'light and then a baby!" Adrenaline coursed through the old woman's veins.

"A flash o'light and a baby? You drink too much Eb, cummon, lets go so I can drink too much, too." He smiled and flashed the credits at her.

"I ainta leavin' no brannew baby out here! Ya'ole sot. Git me a sheet er sumptun to wrap er up in." Ebby ordered and scooped the baby up in her arms.

"Oh, now why ya gotta do that Eb? Aint we got it hard nuff widdouwt a babe to take care of?" Guffy grumbled.

"If'n you don't git movin' I'mma gonna whoop yer tail old man." Ebby threatened. "Git me sumptun to wrap this ere baby up in. Mebbe we can trade er off er sumptun." She coaxed when he did nothing but scowl at her.

"Aight, but you the one takin' care of that thang til we do." He gave in ungracefully.

Rey wiped the tears from her face as the memory faded away. "That thing?" She was devastated. "That's all I was to them? That thing?"

Ben gathered her into his arms. "They were nothing to you." He said soothingly, stroking her hair.

"I've never been anything to anybody, not even my own parents." She wept.

He pulled her away from him far enough to be able to look into her tear stained face and ducked his head to to look into her eyes, "That's not true. You've always been everything to me."

She threw her arms around him and wept until she had no more tears. He shed quite a few tears with her, holding her tightly and feeling her pain as acutely as she did.

When her sobs finally subsided she pulled away and looked at him miserably. "I don't understand this part." She replayed the part of the memory with the flash of light into his mind.

"I didn't, either… I thought it was just an old woman's drunken imagination until I saw what you did to me." He touched the spot on his chest where not even a scar remained of the hole that had been there. "When you came back to me, I knew it was true." He took a ragged breath and braced for the impact he knew his next words would have on her. "You never had parents, you were created by the Force." His emotion roughened voice was filled with reverence when he added, "Rey, you *are* the Force."


	23. Chapter 23

Rey stared at him blankly with her mouth hanging open as the truth of his words washed over her.

Ben could feel her incredulity mingled with mindnumbing shock. He felt the emptiness wash through her mind as all thoughts fled from it. He saw the dizzying spin of the room, edged in red, as her eyes rolled back in her head and caught her against him as she fainted for the first time in her life. Helpless to do anything else, he just cradled her limp body against him and laid his cheek on the top of her head. He ran his fingers through her hair and just held her. After several minutes he felt her confusion followed almost immediately by embarrassment as she woke up. She straightened up and looked at him. "I fainted."

"It's a lot to process." He excused her faint easily. "I wanted to do the same when I realized it."

"When was that?" She slanted him a still red-faced glance. "Exactly?"

"Exactly?" He echoed. "About twenty minutes before I woke you up this morning."

"And when exactly did you regain all of these memories?" She pressed.

His discomfort rippled through her. He obviously didn't want to answer the question but with resignation he replied, "The first time we touched."

"That's what you saw when we touched hands?" She was aghast.

"You saw the future when we touched," He said. "I saw the past. I saw everything about you that I had wiped away. Before I even had time to process it all, there you were. I had no idea what I was going to do when I saw you in that pod… I've never been so horrified to see someone in my entire life." He grimaced. "That had to be the most foolhardy, absolutely insane, bravest thing anyone has ever done." He hugged her tightly. "You have no idea how terrified I was when I realized that you were coming."

"You only showed me bits and pieces of your memories from the Supremacy, so of course I have no idea." She grumbled.

"It wasn't exactly my finest hour." He frowned.

"I disagree." She snuggled into his arms a little deeper. "You took a giant leap toward becoming my Ben Solo that day... even if it took me a year to realize that."

He sighed. "Rey," His voice was steady but his emotions were in such a flux that she couldn't be sure what he was feeling. "I love that you want to see me in a good light, that you think of me as Heroic Ben Solo... Nothing makes me happier than making you happy… but this Ben Solo - Kylo Ren dichotomy you have in your head just doesn't exist. They're both me. I am the same person no matter what you call me."

She pulled away to frown at him. "No, you're not."

"Yes, I am." He said gently. "I am the monster you hate and the man you love. I always have been, and I always will be."

Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest and she jumped to her feet taking several steps away from him before turning to glare at him. "That's not true! Look at what you're doing!" She said vehemently. "Kylo Ren never would have turned his fleet over to a rebel! He never would have called for ceasefire or a galactic federation! He wanted to dominate the galaxy, not free it. You're not Kylo Ren! You're Ben Solo, the man I love!" She swore.

"I did what I had to do to get what I wanted." He stood up and stalked toward her. "I have always been willing to do absolutely anything to get what I want." He grabbed her by her upper arms and ducked his head to bore into her eyes with a flinty stare. "I helped destroy entire planets because I wanted the galaxy to fear me." The glint in his eyes terrified her. "I lived to feel the terror I caused in lesser beings. They meant absolutely nothing to me. Everyone outside of this room still means nothing to me. If I could set the galaxy on fire just to watch it burn, I would. I absolutely do not care about any of it." He released his grip on her.

"I care about you. I love you. I want you. I'll do what I have to do to have you. If that means giving up the galaxy, fine, you can have it. If it means not choking the life out of some fool that annoys me, fine, I'll behave. Whatever it takes to make you happy, I'm willing to do it." He took several steps backwards. "But I need for you to love me. Not some romanticized idea of me." He thumped himself on the chest. "Me."

"I hate everything that I'm making you feel right now, but you can't love me if you don't even know who I am." He stopped and took a calming breath. "I need for you to know me and love me." He pleaded. "All of me. The good and the bad. Ben Solo and Kylo Ren."

"This is what you were apologizing for earlier." She said with sudden clarity. "Not for holding back those memories. You knew that you were going to try to convince me that you aren't who I see when I look at you."

His grimace was all the confirmation she needed.

"You're wrong. I know exactly who you are." She advanced on him. "You're the little boy who used to let me climb into bed with him when I was frightened, and the man who now holds me tightly every night." She stopped inches from his chest and peered up at him. "You're the boy who promised not to hurt me, who promised to never let Snoke get me, and the man who kept those promises." She reached up and cupped his scarred cheek. "You're the boy who willingly chose to suffer years of abuse to protect me from an evil, twisted, bastard, and the man who still suffers from that choice."

He gaped at her, dumbfounded.

"I felt it in your memories. You knew it was me he wanted. You saw that he was blinded by your bloodline and you chose to use that to protect me. How long did it take you to figure out that it was my dream that you first saw him in?"

"About ten minutes." He said softly. "When your next dream started playing in my head while I was still wide awake. I don't smell things in my dreams. You do."

"You gave up all knowledge of me because you knew that if he ever discovered what you'd done, he'd kill you and come after me." She could feel how right that guess was from his reaction, so she pressed on. "You let him twist you and torture you until he created Kylo Ren inside of you, but you are not Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren was the price you paid to protect me, he was the shield you used to hide me. He was never real, only an illusion. When we touched hands and you remembered everything, which did you want more, to kill Snoke or to protect me from him?"

"I wanted to protect you." He admitted then couldn't resist scolding her. "You didn't make that easy on me by showing up in the one place in all of existence where he was guaranteed to get his hands on you."

She ignored his scolding tone and carried on making her point, "As Kylo Ren you learned to embrace evil, to live for it, to love it… and you expect me to blame you for that? For being who you had to be to survive? For giving up everything, including your humanity to protect me?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "I refuse to blame the man you are for being the man you had to be while you had to be him."

"I still feel like I am him." He protested.

"Of course you do!" She said in exasperation. "You don't just stop being effected by abuse because it stopped. You don't just wake up the next morning cured of all your pain, insecurity, fear, and defensiveness because the person who caused that is dead. You don't learn to live a normal life in a year after you've spent half your life as the plaything of a sick, demented, evil bastard. It takes time," She reached up on tiptoe and kissed his chin. "Decades maybe, but you're not alone. I'm with you. I'll always be with you."


	24. Chapter 24

Rey leaned in and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Hessitantly, he wrapped her in his arms, kissed the crown of her head and just held her, too overcome by her understanding to do anything but bask in it.

They held each other like that for a while before an incessant buzzing intruded on their moment of tranquility. With a sigh he reached out with the force and tapped the blinking red button.

"Ma'am, you have some pretty insistant visitors in Bay 77. They've just arrived in an X-wing and are threatening to, and I quote 'tear this place apart' if they don't see you immediately."

"Thank you, Gliss. I'll be right there." She said trying to sound as if she wasn't annoyed by the interuption.

Ben tapped the button to end the communique, "Friends of yours?"

"Unless I miss my guess," She grinned. "Poe and Finn have come to pay us a visit."

He groaned.

"Be nice. They're just worried about me." She squeezed him a bit tighter then let him go. "Come on, before one of them does something rash."

"You want me to come with you?" He was slightly startled and more than slightly dubious.

"Don't tell me you're afraid to meet my friends?" She teased.

"No," He scoffed then reminded her, "I have met them, we didn't exactly bond."

She threaded her fingers through his and said confidently as they walked out of their quarters, "They'll love you once they get to know you."

Poe Dameron and Finn were awaiting her arrival in Bay 77, and neither was particularly happy to see her holding hands with the enemy. BB-8 on the other hand was delighted to see her.

The little droid let out an electronic squeal that was nearly ear piercing before jabbering on in a series of beeps, whirs, chirps and tweets for several seconds, it's little round body shivering and trembling excitedly.

She dropped down to one knee and hugged the little droid, ignoring the three bristling men around her and the thirty or so stormtroopers surrounding all of them. "BB-8! I missed you too!" What came next was a rapidfire series of bleeps, bloops, whirs and chirps punctuated by Rey's answers to the little droid's questions. "No... No... No he never… Absolutely not… No… Yes… Yes, I'm sure… No, I don't… I promise!"

She rubbed BB-8 on the head and stood back up. "We wont be needing your services, gentlemen, thank you." She said, dismissing the stormtroopers before turning her attention to her guests.

She glanced from the first glaring face to the second and then to the third and busted out laughing. Three shocked faces turned toward her. "I'm sorry," she giggled. "But you three look like a bunch of gargoyles standing there glaring at each other." She stepped forward and hugged Finn, then Poe. "Thank you." She said simply.

"For what?" Finn asked, confused.

She stepped back and took Ben's hand. "For coming to rescue me." She smiled sweetly up at them. "But, as you can see, I don't need rescuing."

"All I see is my friend being brainwashed by an evil, manipulative, twisted…" Finn was just getting fired up when Rey cut him off.

"That's not true, Finn. Come on, lets find somewhere to talk." She invited and started toward the corridor.

"You have some explaining to do." Poe grumbled but followed without protest.

"Three calls in a month and you don't even show up for the conference! You bet you do!" Finn complained.

"I know I do." She agreed coming to a halt in the corridor, unsure of where to go.

'Left, third door on the right.' Ben thought to her as he read her indecision about where to take her friends.

'Thanks.' She thought and followed his directions.

"In here." She said, tapping a button to open the door to a sumptuous yet cozy lounge that was blessedly empty. It was furnished with three soft sofas in a creamy leather that smelled vaguely of dirt and flowers, rich wooden tables, live plants from several systems, and a state of the art holovid entertainment unit.

"Sheesh!" Poe said, his eyes as big as saucers. "Is that a real Alderaanian Orchid? I thought those were extinct."

Ben shrugged.

Once everyone was seated Rey cleared her throat and started talking. "I'm sorry I worried you guys, I really am."

"Why don't we start with… what the hell is going on here?" Finn demanded. "Twenty minutes before this guy shows up to his own meeting he makes an all channel announcement claiming that you're his wife and he's stepping down as Supreme Leader…?"

"It's all true." She said. "We were married this morning."

"Why?" Finn was astounded. "Why would you marry him? You don't even know him!"

"Do you remember what I told you before I left the base in Hadron? About having spoken to him three days before that?" She leaned forward. "We can see and talk to each other inside our minds."

"Since when?" Poe asked bewildered.

"Since shortly after we met." She said. "This pathway between our minds just randomly started opening up." The look of betrayal on both rebel's faces hurt her heart, but Ben's gentle rub on her shoulder encouraged her to continue. "We got to know each other through it a bit at a time."

"And you didn't think it might be just a tiny bit important to tell the Resistance that you had a direct line to the guy that was trying to kill us all?" Poe was clearly disturbed by her reticence.

"I would have but after the…" She hessitated. "Misunderstandings on Snoke's ship and Crayt the connection seemed to be gone for good."

"Misunderstanding on Snoke's ship?" Finn gasped, appalled that she would call the circumstances around the Supremacy's destruction a misunderstanding.

"I went there to try to get him to turn back to the light." She confessed uncomfortable with being grilled like this.

"Wait, what? You were on that ship?" Poe was having trouble believing his ears.

"I went there before I came to Crayt." Heat suffused her face. "I thought if I could turn him, we could end this war and save lives."

"What made you think you could turn him?" Finn demanded, incredulous.

"Well…" She got a bit tongue tied, searching for the right words.

Ben answered for her, his stiff posture relaxed a fraction and he leaned forward. "Because, just before that, when we touched hands from across the galaxy, she had a vision of the future."

"A vision of the future?" Finn was confused.

"In my vision I saw us standing together, hand in hand, surrounded by people who were smiling up at us." She explained.

Ben shot her a startled glanced. 'That's what you saw?'

'They were mostly children.' She smiled into his eyes.

'Ours?' His eyes went wide.

'Not all of them.' She winked then said aloud, "After he killed Snoke…"

"He killed Snoke?" Poe cut in, confused.

"He did." She confirmed. "Snoke ordered him to kill me but he killed Snoke, then we killed Snoke's guards together. I thought that meant he was going to join our side, but he wanted me join him, instead."

"I had a vision, too. What I saw lead me to believe that she would join me." Ben interjected.

"Wait wait wait, let me see if I have this straight. You two touched hands, in your minds, and had visions…" Poe repeated. "That made you both believe that you could turn the other…?"

The pair of Jedi nodded in unison.

"And these visions, they made you go to Snoke's ship?" When Rey nodded Poe looked to Ben, "And made you kill Snoke?" Who also nodded. "Then why did you attack us on Crayt with everything you had available?"

"Because when I asked her to join me, she tried to kill me. There was an explosion, it knocked me out and when I woke up she was gone." Ben explained. "I was mad with grief at losing her. I hoped that if I could kill all of you before she reached your base, she would have nowhere else to turn and she'd come back to me."

"So, you're telling me that you murdered almost four hundred of my people because of a lover's quarrel?" Poe was clearly outraged.

Ben sat back and nodded stiffly.

"Oh, that's just great!" Finn groused. "What happens if she leaves you again? Huh? You gonna burn the whole galaxy down?"

"He's not that guy anymore!" Rey stood up, growling angrily with fists clenched. "Look at what he's been doing in the past month!"

"He came to our base with over three hundred warships and kidnapped you!" Finn half shouted.

Rey felt murderous intent spring to life inside of Ben in reaction to Finn's tone. "No." She glared at Ben. "You stay out of this." Then she rounded on Finn and growled. "He did not kidnap me!" Her own volume increased as she explained, "He saw me falling to the Dark side and came to try to stop that from happening." She glanced at Ben apologetically. "We had an arguement, he told me how he felt about me and I didn't believe him! I got angry and my eyes turned yellow! He knew it meant that I was falling to the Dark side and it scared him so much that he came to try to save me! He had no intention of harming anyone. It was all just a big misunderstanding!"

"A misunderstanding?" Finn yelped. "Rey! Wake up! He's manipulating you!"

She wasn't sure who wanted to throttle Finn more, her or Ben. Taking several deep, calming breaths, Rey sat back down and waited for Finn to do the same. When he sat she said, much more calmly, "I know it's hard to understand, but he and I have a connection that is beyond anything you can imagine. When we're connected I can sense everything that he thinks or feels. We can share thoughts and memories without a word passing between us. I wish I could show you the truth of who he is…" She stopped and looked at Ben. 'Do you care if I tell them the rest?'

'Go ahead.' His voice, in her head, sounded resigned.

"He didn't join Snoke and do all of that evil stuff for the joy of it. He did it to protect me." She said almost reluctant to share the tale.

Sensing her reluctance, Ben spoke up, "Luke and I found Rey on Jakku when she was little more than a baby. We were looking for students to bring back to his Jedi Academy. Her parents sent her off to be trained by Luke." He purposely skipped the part where her parents weren't actually her parents and had sold her for a handful of coins. "She was scared at first, but not of me, I was just a boy and she took a liking to me. When I laid down with her, to get her to sleep that first night, I fell asleep, too. That's when Snoke found me. He had been stalking her in her dreams, but she was so little she could barely even talk. The dreams terrified her too much to do anything but whimper." He raked a hand through his hair, becoming more agitated with every word. "I didn't know I was in her dream until afterward, but I yelled at him and that's when he found me. He saw me and thought it was me he wanted, because of my Skywalker blood." He stopped to take a few calming breaths and Rey continued the story for him.

"It wasn't Ben that Snoke wanted. It was me. When Ben realized that, he chose to let Snoke continue to believe it was him that he wanted." Rey said, giving Ben a look of utter adoration. "He gave himself to Snoke to protect me."

She looked back at Finn and continued. "Eventually, Luke began to pick up on the darkness building in Ben. One night, Luke snuck into Ben's room and looked into his mind while Snoke was in there. Luke panicked and ignited his light saber. Ben woke up and thought Luke meant to murder him. He went berzerk and killed all of Luke's students, and burned some of the bodies to hide the fact that he had taken me." She glanced at Ben then back to Finn. "Do you remember, when we first met, how I kept wanting to get back to Jakku?"

"Yeah, you were really stubborn about that." Finn said with a frown.

"I thought it was my parents who left me there, but it wasn't. It was Ben." She squeezed Ben's hand. "He wiped away all of my memories and all of his memories of me, to hide me from Snoke. The vision he had when we touched was of those lost memories. He was turned immediately, I just didn't realize it at the time." She said sadly and let Ben tell the next part.

"I didn't quite realize it at first either, not until after our minds stopped connecting. It took losing her to realize that I could have this." He made an encompassing gesture with his hands. "Or I could have a chance with her. I choose her. I'll always choose her."

Rey took his hand and finished the story. "This galactic federation is entirely his idea. As soon as we're able to, we're handing this entire fleet over and heading off to somewhere beautiful where we can have a life and a family and never have to worry about being blown up by some madman lightyears away."

Both rebels stared the Jedi across from them in shocked disbelief. Slowly, by increments, both Finn and Poe began to relax.

Poe broke the silence. "So, you're not Kylo Ren anymore?" He asked Ben.

Ben shook his head and said, "Not anymore."

"Then I guess it would be rude to punch you in the face for torturing me." Poe sighed, disappointed.

"Not being Kylo Ren does not mean I wouldn't beat the stupid out of you if you tried it." Ben said in a threatening tone. Then he relaxed and grinned. "I'm hungry, anyone else want something to eat?"


	25. Chapter 25

Both men gaped at Ben like he'd lost his mind.

"You're hungry?" Finn asked, confused by the sudden change in not just the man across from him but the atmosphere of the whole room.

"I was too nervous to eat breakfast and too busy for lunch, so yeah, I'm hungry." Ben shrugged, feeling much more relaxed now that Rey's friends were no longer contemplating his murder. Using the Force he tapped the green button on the console by the door.

"Galley 23." Came a voice from the tiny built in speaker.

"Send an abundance of whatever's ready to eat to General Hux's personal lounge, please." He called toward the speaker.

"Right away, sir!" Came the response.

He tapped the button again and looked around at the trio of stunned faces. "What?"

Finn was the first to find his tongue, but the other two were right behind him.

"You have changed." Finn said in wonder.

"Hux's lounge?" Rey gasped.

"Where is that mangey little womprat?" Poe asked.

Ben smirked at each of them as he answered. "Yes, I have. Yes, it was. And I don't know, you'd have to ask the droids that mopped him up off the floor after he shot me." He responded to all three with a humorous flippancy that shocked them all back into stunned silence.

Poe, the first to recover, asked, "Hux managed to actually shoot you?"

"He disagreed with my plans for the fleet." Ben shrugged, unwilling to discuss the matter further.

"He must have been one lucky bastard." Poe shook his head with a rueful grin.

"Well, if you want to have his kind of luck you just say the word and I'll make sure you wind up as a puddle of bloody goo on the floor, as well." Ben said with an amused glint in his eyes.

It took the others a second to realize he was joking but when they did they all four started laughing.

'I've never seen this side of you!' Rey thought and hugged him affectionately. 'I like it!'

"Hey, how come you never hug me when I tell a joke?" Poe teased, with mock scowel.

"Well, if you ever tell a funny one, I promise I'll hug you!" When the laughter died down again Rey said, "By the way, guys, I'd like to introduce you to Ben Solo."

Finn looked at Rey, his face a study in confusion, a lifetime spent as a stormtrooper hadn't prepared him for social intricacies and this one elluded him completely.

Poe understood it though. "It's damned nice to meet you, Ben." He stood up and walked over to shake Ben's hand. "It's kinda funny though, you look just like this guy I used to know." Poe gave Ben his cockiest grin and squeezed Ben's hand a bit harder than strictly necessary. "He was a real pain in the ass."

Ben gave Poe's hand a mildly painful squeeze before releasing it and saying with a grin, "Yes, he was."

The food arrived then and all four of them piled plates high from the selection provided by the boxy buffet-style serving droid before returning to their seats.

"Got anything to drink on that thing?" Poe asked around a mouthful of still warm bread.

Ben used the Force to tap a button on the front panel of the droid and a cold drawer on the side opened. "What'll it be?" He asked using the force to lift various bottles and cartons up then set them back down after he identified their contents .

"Got any beer?" Poe asked hopefully.

"Yep, anybody else?" Ben looked around at his dinner companions.

"Oh, yeah! Right here." Finn said with enthusiasm.

"Yes, please." Rey mumbled around a bite of roasted meat.

"It's unanimous, then." He smiled and levitated a bottle to each of them, removing the caps and disposing of them as the bottles floated toward their intended recipients.

Finn plucked his out of the air and looked at Ben oddly.

Poe took his and looked at Rey, "He comes in handy, huh?"

Rey frowned and looked at Ben, thinking, 'Should you be using the Force for such trivial stuff?'

'Once you take the mysticism out of it, all the Force really is is an energy field that certain people can manipulate. Add the mysticism in and it's still the same thing but with a philosophy attached. Light side has one philosophy, Dark side another.' He explained while putting a dent in the mountain of multicolored food on his plate and watching her do the same. 'Which do you think covers levitating an innane object, like a beer, to someone who wants it?'

'I don't know.' She gave him a startled look, surprised by the question.

'Is it evil to send your wife and her friends a beer?' He asked, pausing to take a drink.

'I wouldn't think so.' She frowned thoughtfully and took a big bite of a sweet purple vegetable that she couldn't even identify by name.

He stole a forkfull of the plum tubers from her plate. 'Mmm, I should have got some of this.' He winked at her. Before she could protest with more than a 'Hey!' at the theft he asked, 'Is it good to send your wife and her friends a beer?'

'Probably not.' She eyed his plate and pondered the larger question for a moment. 'So, you're talking about neutral usage?' Her fork snaked out and speared a bite of his spiced citrus dressing.

'On the Dark side it's forbidden to use the Force neutrally, it's considered beneath *the power of the Darkside* to use it for mundane things like passing out drinks. On the Light side it's forbidden because it's seen as an abuse of power that can lead to the Dark side. So, what do you suppose that does to the Force?' He stopped chewing and raised his brows in a questioning manner.

'Keeps it split between Dark and Light with almost no neutral to balance them.' She swallowed her food and grinned at him. 'How did you come up with that?'

He took a drink from his bottle then set it back down and grinned at her. 'Watching you play with rocks instead of paying attention to Luke during class.'

Poe and Finn exchanged a look. Poe said, "Are you two having one of those mind connection conversations?"

Rey flinched and looked at him. "I'm sorry! We actually were. Ben has an incredible theory about how to balance the Force."

"Forget I asked." Poe said and took a swig from his bottle.

"What's the theory?" Finn asked after swallowing a bite of food.

"Neutral usage." Rey was impressed by her new husband's theory and made no attempt to hide it.

Finn gave her a look that clearly stated he had no idea what she was talking about.

She set her plate down on the table next to her almost full beer. "Think of the Force like a lever. If the fulcrum is narrow the balance is easy to disturb, but if the fulcrum is wide the balance is hard to disturb." When Finn still didn't get it she turned to Ben. "Let me see your light saber." He handed it to her.

She held out one finger, parallel to the floor, and attempted to balance the weapon on it. It took several tries to get it to stop tipping in one direction or the other, when it was finally balancing on her finger she said, "As if it wasn't hard enough to achieve balance, look what happens when I disturb that balance." She lightly tapped one side of the unignited handle and it fell. She caught it before it hit the floor and with her hand facing upward she set the saber across her palm. "Look, balanced on the first try, and when I disturb that balance…" She tapped one end. The saber stayed steady in her hand. She tapped it harder, it bounced up on the opposite end then settled back into her palm. On the third try she hit it hard enough to flip it out of her hand and Ben used the Force to pull it into his. "Much harder to unbalance." She said and looked at Ben adoringly.

"What does a lever have to do with the Force?" Poe asked, intrigued inspite of himself.

"The Force is an energy field that flows in, around and through all things." Ben set his nearly empty plate next to hers and explained. "All energy consists of three parts- positive, negative and neutral. If the Dark side is negative and the Light side is positive, then adding more of either will disturb any balance you might have. However, if you widen the fulcrum, by increasing the usage of neutral energy, the balance between dark and light should become more stable. I know it has in me."

"What do you mean it has in you?" Finn asked, his curiousity aroused.

"While I was Snoke's apprentice I wanted to be fully on the Darkside but the pull toward the light was a constant source of conflict within me. After Rey rejected me I wanted to turn back to the Light side but the pull toward the dark was stronger than I've ever felt it. I knew I had to do something to stop being torn between the two if I was ever going to have a chance to win her over."

Ben's tone became more animated the longer he spoke. "One night, missing her and unable to sleep, I started sifting through my reacquired memories of Rey, and an idle thought I'd had during a lesson with Luke caught my attention. Luke was lecturing us about the Force, explaining how it's an energy field."

He slid an adoring glance toward his wife.

"Rey was sitting in my lap at the time, bouncing pebbles way up over our heads and I'd wondered if bouncing pebbles for the amusement of a five year old counted as light side or dark side usage of the Force." He wrapped an arm around her back and gave her a light squeeze.

"Remembering that got me to thinking about neutral Force energy. I've been using it for more than half a year now and I haven't felt a pull in either direction in all that time." He finished speaking and set back.

"I see." Poe said, after a few seconds he added, "Out of curiousity, what brought on this mind to mind discussion about the Force?"

"She asked me if I thought I should be using the Force for trivial stuff like handing out drinks." Ben beamed a clearly smitten smile at Rey.

Poe laughed. "All that stuff about balancing the Force and neutral energy is the answer you gave for that question?" He tilted his almost empty bottle Ben's way and chuckled, "You really are Leia's kid." Then emptied the bottle.

Ben laughed then asked, "Want another one?"

"Sure." Poe said, setting the bottle down next to his empty plate.

Ben floated him another beer and Poe took a drink then gave Ben a look that spoke of his willingness to accept Ben Solo as a friend and ally. "Alright, tell me more about this federation idea of yours. I didn't catch much at the conference, I was too busy looking for an ambush." Poe said, settling comfortably into the fragrant leather sofa.


	26. Chapter 26

Ben reiterated the highlights of his proposal and the quartet discussed it at length for the next few hours before Poe almost reluctantly announced that it was past the time they were supposed to return to their ship. "I like your ideas on this." Poe said, shaking Ben's hand. "I'll talk with our people and get back to you as soon as I know something."

"Thank you." Ben said, feeling much more positively disposed toward the rebel. As they walked toward Bay 77 together he decided it probably wouldn't hurt to mention: "I want the core systems to know my proposal is an offer, not a threat, so we're moving the bulk of the fleet towards the outter rim tonight. It may be a few days before you can reach us on anything but a hyperspace channel."

"Understood." Poe said, looking at the taller man oddly. "If you have no specific area in mind, might make a suggestion?"

"Sure." Ben was curious to hear what the rebel might suggest.

"There's been a lot of trouble out near the spice lanes, the nearby systems would probably welcome a bit of assistance with their problems." Poe stated.

"Assist the spicers?" Ben snorted. "Not likely."

"The spicers aren't the ones needing assistance. Plenty of decent folks travel through there too, we've had reports of whole convoys disappearing without a trace. I don't have the resources that you do or I'd go check it out myself." Poe said as they stepped into the hangar. "If you bring a little security to the spice lanes, maybe those nearby systems will be a bit more inclined to listen to what you have to say about this federation. Win over those systems, the rest of that quadrant wont be far behind."

Ben contemplated the idea for a few seconds then shrugged and agreed to check into it.

BB-8 was waiting for them by the X-wing, unhappy to have been left alone for so long. "Sorry, buddy, you can come with us next time." He said as the droid chattered it's displeasure. Finn was already strapped into the gunner's seat by the time Poe made it to the X-wing.

"You're getting awefully chummy with that guy." Finn said low enough to not be overheard as BB-8 was lifted into fighter by the onboard astromech loader.

"Yeah, well, what can I say? I believe him." Poe looked toward the pair and smiled. "Take a look at those two and tell me you don't believe he'd give all of this up for her."

Finn looked toward them and his eyes went wide. They were making quite the spectacle of themselves with Rey's arms wrapped loosely around Ben's neck, resting on his shoulders, his hands on her hips, their smiling faces inches apart, talking to each other as if nothing else existed.

Finn grumbled, "Maybe."

Poe called out, "By the way! Congratulations on the wedding!" He smiled and closed the canape as Rey turned to wave and called back, "Thank you!"

Rey turned back to Ben, "So, the spice lanes… Is that where Kessel is?" She grinned. "I always wanted to know what it must have been like to make that run in the Falcon."

Ben grimaced and waited for the roar of the departing Xwing to die down. "Forget about it, it's dangerous in any ship let alone that ancient hunk of junk." He said as they left the bay.

"Could the Redemption do it?" She asked, her eyes alight with excitement at the prospect.

"No, a ship with this much mass would be torn apart before it got halfway through." As much as he thought she looked gorgeous all lit up with excitement like she was, he was not thrilled about the source of that excitement. "We wont be going anywhere near Kessel."

Her face fell. "Oh." She kept her silence for a time then asked, "Could a TIE fighter do it?"

He groaned then answered, "No. Ordinary TIE fighters don't have hyperdrives."

"Are there any non-ordinary TIE fighters," She pressed. "Ones with hyperdrives? Could one of those navigate through there?"

"I only know of one that's capable of making that run." He said with a sigh. He really wished she'd drop the subject.

"One?" Her eyes were big and bright. "A prototype?"

"Not really." He shrugged. "We wont be mass producing them."

"Why?" She frowned. "If you can advance the fleet's technology, why not do so?"

"Modern TIEs are nimble, fast and already way more advanced than your typical light fighter. Less than one in fifty trainees can even learn to fly one well enough to be assigned to a wing. Plus, adding a hyperdrive means getting rid of the gunner's position." He explained then asked, "How many trainees do you suppose can learn to fly a TIE and be an effective gunner at the same time?"

"Not very many, I guess." She answered, a little deflated.

"And if you were to make them even faster and more nimble, how many pilots do you suppose you're going to be able to find to fly them?"

"Even fewer." She frowned. "Who flies the one you mentioned?"

"I do." He smirked.

"You?" She sounded surprised enough to hurt his ego just a tiny bit. "So, do you think you could beat the Falcon's record on the Kessel run?" Her grin was full of mischief.

He rolled his eyes. "Why would I want to?"

"For fun?"

"Fun?" He scoffed. "Navigating a minefield of black holes and astroid belts, in a light fighter, for no reason at all, is not my idea of fun."

"Oh? What is?" She asked in a challenging tone.

He thought about that for a moment and realized he didn't actually have an idea of fun. "This evening was pretty fun." He shrugged.

"It was!" She agreed. "But I mean like, real heart pounding, breath taking fun. The kind of things you can't wait to do again."

He sent her an image that made her blush. "Besides that!" She giggled.

"Besides that?" He grinned. "Well, I like flying. I really enjoyed designing all the little custom modifications on my Silencer." He thought about it another moment. "Hmm, I like fighting."

"Fighting?" She frowned.

"Fighting, sparring, training… doesn't really matter which." He slanted her a sideways look. "It's fun, pitting your skills against your opponent's, out thinking them, out working them, out manuevering them."

"Getting beaten by them…?" She asked, tongue in cheek.

"Never." He smirked. "Never happened."

"Oh, really? Take a look in the mirror and tell me that." She gestured toward his face.

"That's different. I was more concerned with not hurting you than I was with getting hurt by you." He said with just a touch of wounded pride.

"I'm pretty sure it still counts." She teased.

"It doesn't count." He disagreed.

"Rematch?" She offered.

"Sparring gear?" He insisted.

"Of course." She smiled.

"Tomorrow morning." He agreed then said with a wink. "I already have other plans for tonight."


	27. Chapter 27

"One point per kill shot, first to three wins." Ben said as they stepped onto a large square of thin blue padding that served for a hand to hand/melee weapons training area.

"Sounds fair." She agreed, rotating her shoulders to relax the tension there and took a few practice swings with her faux sword.

They circled each other, both lightly padded and holding long padded metal rods. "If we read each other's minds we'll be here all day." He scolded when she tried to sneak a peek.

She used the distraction to attack.

"Don't shout when you're attacking." He instructed after parrying her widely arcing swings. "It sends a warning to your opponent."

On her next attack she feinted high then whacked him in the side of the knee with the padded rod.

"Better!" He said encouragingly. "Not a point, but still a good hit."

He spun away from, blocked and parried three more blows with an almost graceful efficiency. "Not bad, watch your footing though, that last swing could have been a point."

"Fight back!" She growled and aimed a blow at his unprotected head.

He ducked her blow and caught her lightly across the middle with his rod. "One, zip." He called and caught her rod with his as she went for a backhand swing.

He caught her off hand in his and yanked her so hard she spun around slamming her back into his front. "Two, zip." He murmurred, nuzzling her just below the ear, his padded rod lightly resting across the other side of her neck.

She wriggled out of his grasp and threw the padded rod at him, calling a practice staff into her hand from a nearby rack.

"Two, one!" She called triumphantly a moment later as the tip of one padded end caught him squarely in the ribs, her thrust landing directly over his heart.

"Pretty good." He grinned and batted the staff away from him. "But you didn't have a staff last time."

"Well, I do now." She twirled the practice weapon, switching it from hand to hand. "If this were a real fight, it's what I'd be using."

"Fair enough." He said and blocked a blow aimed at his middle.

She launched another flurry of attacks that went on for over a minute before she danced away, laughing, "Two all."

They circled again as off duty storm troopers, in their breathable black workout wear, began to gather around to watch.

They both attacked at the same time, the flurry of spinning rods and agile, sometimes nearly acrobatic, ducks and dodges went on for over three minutes before he managed to tie her up. He took a few steps back, panting from the exertion. "You're good with that thing," He circled towards his left, flourishing his mock blade. "I'll give you that."

"Thank you." She smiled and switched the spinning staff from one hand to the other.

He caught the staff in a Force pull and jerked it out of her hand, sending it spinning off into the crowd of onlookers as his thrust stopped a hairsbreadth from her throat. He tapped the underside of her chin and grinned, "I win."

"That was a dirty trick." She batted the rod away from her throat with her hand.

"There's no such thing as a dirty trick, only what keeps you alive or gets you killed." He countered.

She thought about that for a beat then pulled a face and agreed with a shrug and a nod. "Go again?"

"Some other time." He tossed his rod in the general direction of the weapons rack, using the Force to settle it into it's place.

"I thought we were having a fun day?" She asked, slipping her hand into his.

"We are." He said, "but this isn't as much fun as flying."

"Flying? We're traveling at lightspeed, we can't go flying." She was slightly confused.

"Rebels," He rolled his eyes. "That's what sims are for."

"Oh!" She chirped. A moment later it occured to her. "I don't know how to fly a TIE fighter."

"We have a couple X-wing simcaps." He shrugged.

"I don't know how to fly an X-wing either." She frowned.

"What do you know how to fly?" He asked, mildly surprised.

"The Falcon." She admitted.

"We don't run sims on cargo ships." He chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll show you the basics. If you can fly the Falcon, you can figure out an X-wing easily enough."

"Do you have a simcap for your plane?" She was curious.

"My 'plane'?" He gave her an annoyed look. "It's anything but plain."

"Well, do you?" She asked insistantly, coming to a halt outside the twin doors that lead to the men's and women's lockerrooms.

"How else could I practice?" He asked in a somewhat patronizing tone.

"Teach me to fly yours?" She batted her eyes at him flirtatiously.

"Get changed. We'll see how you do in a less advanced model first." He said and ducked his head to steal a quick kiss before slipping into the door on the right.

She was smiling as she walked through the door on the left.

Ten minutes later she stepped out of the surprizingly small ladies lockerroom freshly showered and changed to find him waiting for her just outside the door.

"I remembered, I have a simcap you can use with controls that are almost identical to mine." He grinned. "We can grab some lunch while they unpack it from storage and set it up for you."

"You just don't want me in yours, huh?" She teased, finding his possessiveness over his TIE rather charming.

"Well, if you're in mine, I'm stuck in one of those slugs that these guys fly." He said, hitching a thumb towards a group of guys working out across the room.

"Slugs? I thought you said they were quick and nimble?" She frowned.

"Compared to rebel tech, they are." He explained. "But, compared to the advanced models we'll be in, they're slugs."

"So, does this advanced model simcap have a matching fighter on board?"

"No, that TIE was destroyed before I was born, but it's still faster than the typical fighter we use now. It's what I based the design mods of my Silencer from. Plus, it was built for a Jedi, so it should work well for you."

"I see." She actually didn't. "What Jedi was it built for?"

He eyed her for a second before answering. "My grandfather."


	28. Chapter 28

"Accelerate more." Ben said, easing the nose of his simulated TIE Silencer around to the right. "See if you can stay on my wing at full speed."

It had taken nearly an hour for her to get comfortable with the controls of the TIE Advanced's simulator capsule, but now that she was he was pushing her through an exhillerating series of manuevers.

"Alright, not bad." He said approvingly as she stayed firmly at his side through a tight turn. "Now, fly straight." He said and flipped his fighter in a tight three sixty roll around hers. "Think you can do that without scraping some paint?"

"Show off!" She laughed, then mimicked his move.

"Look who's talking!" He teased. "Alright, slip infront of me and fly straight. I've always wanted to try this…"

"Try what?" She asked, pulling ahead of him.

"This!" He said and sent his fighter into a spin, firing above and below her cockpit with every rotation.

"Hey!" She shouted.

He leveled off, laughing. "Now you spin left, I'll spin right, let's see if we can blast a hole through…" he tapped a few buttons and a big ship she couldn't classify appeared in front of them. "This."

"Don't shoot me!" She demanded.

"Ready?" He asked.

"How do you spin so tight?" She asked quickly.

"Full throttle, full left stick, full left pedal." He instructed. "And fire as fast as you can, you're in front."

"Alright! Ready!" She sent her fighter into a spin as instructed.

He sent his spinning in the opposite direction, firing almost as fast as she was despite having to time his shots to avoid blowing her solar arrays off.

"This really is fun!" She yelled as they punched through the far side of the big ship.

"It's a lot more fun with you here, everyone else freaks out when I shoot at them." His voice was full of laughter and admiration for her nerve.

"I want to try it from behind!" She called, pulling back on both sticks to flip over the top of his fighter and get behind him.

"Don't shoot me!" It was his turn to be concerned.

"Fly straight." She said and sent herself into a spin. She held off firing for a few seconds, afraid to hit him, then when she felt comfortable with the timing she let loose a volley of laser bolts that neatly flew past his cockpit. "Wow!" She leveled off. "That's not as easy as it looks!"

"Ready to try it with us both spinning?" He had never flown with another Jedi before and was having the time of his life. His enthusiasm mingled with hers kept them both happily enjoying the simulators for hours.

Over dinner, alone in their quarters, she asked him, "How long would it take to have a fighter, like your grandfather's, built for me?"

"Well, I have the technical readouts for his, but it would take a while to put together a design schematic." He frowned. "I would rather you stayed out of a real fight, though."

"You're cute when you're being protective, but don't over do it." She said with a hint of warning in her tone.

"I'm serious." His frown deepened. "It's too risky. Sims are great, but they lack the human element. They also don't feature the stray laser bolts you're just as likely to be killed by in real combat."

"What you're saying is, it's alright for you to take those risks, but it's not alright for me to do the same?" She glared at him.

"No!" He shot back firmly. "I'm saying I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you."

"Oh, like I did such a great job living with myself after Hux murdered you?" She dropped her fork onto her plate and scowled at him.

"Well…" He sighed. "No."

"Do you think you have a better chance of surviving a fight with some random stick in a slug on your wing, or with me there?" She gave him an arch look that dated him to argue the point.

"I've done just fine so far with a 'stick in a slug' on my wing." He countered, less afraid of accepting the dare than of putting her in harm's way. "You've got what? Five hours of sim time logged? And zero combat experience?"

"I'll put in the sim time." She promised ungraciously. "And I'll have you know, I have been in two combat situations before, once as pilot and once as gunner, on the Falcon!"

"You have?" His surprise was evident "When?"

"The first time I ever flew the Falcon, Finn was my gunner, we had to fight off a few TIEs to get away from Jakku." She squinted at him. "And Chewie flew while I shot down several of the TIEs you sent after us on Crayt."

He stared at her blankly for a moment before quietly confessing, "I didn't know you were in the Falcon when I sent them after it."

"Well, I was." She took a drink of water and set her cup back down.

"Alright." He sighed and capitulated. "You can fly with me if the need ever arises, but only if you log at least a hundred hours in the sim between now and then... and twenty hours a week every week after you reach the hundred."

"So, I get my own TIE Advanced?" She pressed.

"No." He sniffed. "You get your own TIE Silencer. You can start in my simcap tomorrow."

She made a delighted sound and came around the table to kiss him soundly. "Thank you!"

"I still don't like it." He grumbled. "But you're right, after two hours in the sim you were already doing a lot better than most career pilots."

"I love you so much!" She squealed and started kissing him in the spots along his neck that she knew drove him mad.

'Join with me.' He thought into her mind.

In response she slipped into his mind and allowed him fully into hers. As always, when they shared this link during intimate moments, their mutual desire flared white hot in an instant, feeding off of each other's passion and growing as it echoed between them.

Rey could feel the blood pounding through Ben's veins, the uncomfortable pinch where his trousers protested against his sudden arousal, the almost electric tingling sensation flooding through his entire pelvis. Feeling what he felt, in moments like this, made it impossible for her to think about anything but increasing that pleasure until it passed beyond all rational description.

He stood, alleviating the painful pinch in his groin and increasing the tingles behind the base of his erection exponentially. The sensation stole away what little breath his kisses had left her with. He lifted her off of her feet by the backs of her thighs, guiding her legs around his waist as he did so. Each step he took caused their sexes to rub together provocatively, increasing the pleasurable, slowly building pressure in her womb.

The lighting level changed beyond her closed eyelids and she opened them to see why. He had carried her into the refresher. She let the question flit through her mind. His response might have been humorous if she wasn't already teetering on the brink of madness. 'Five hours in a sweaty flight suit.' Was all the explination he gave. He set her down on the counter by the sink and removed her top even as she clawed at the fastenings on his.

She slid off the counter and divested herself of the rest of her clothing as he did the same.

"Mmm, we've never done this before." She purred, wrapping her arms around his neck as they stepped into the shower and the spray of warm water began to pelt them from above.

"It's past time we did." He said breathlessly, and captured her mouth with his.

The fragrant smell of his soap only increased her already throbbing arousal as the slippery glide of his hands across the skin of her back sent shivers up and down her spine. She reached out with one hand and a squirt of her own flowery cleanser landed in her palm. She smoothed it across the hard plane of his chest, enjoying the way the fragrances blended almost as much as the feel of her own slippery fingers against his skin. She worked the lather lower, across his ribs. Lower, massaging it into the skin over his rippling belly muscles, which danced about wildly at her touch. She could feel that she was tickling him, but it wasn't an unpleasant sensation, a tickle, yes, but an arousing tickle that increased the intensity of the tingles in his groin even more.

His hands on her back kneaded the slippery soap into her skin, lower and lower until he was forced bend down to reach the bottom of her cheeks. She felt his fingers slide between the backs of her thighs and thought he meant to lift her up but he didn't. He let his soap slickened fingers glide upwards into the cleft of her body, stroking her arousal and up, farther still, between her cheeks. She jumped at the feel of his fingers as they skimmed across that part of her body that even she never touched with her bare hands. The sensation was so powerful that they both broke off kissing to give each other a startled look. Deliberately, he stroked her there again.

"Oh!" She gasped.

His erection jerked against her belly in reaction to the sensation. He could feel that she was neither fully comfortable with the pleasure of his taboo caress, nor exactly uncomfortable with it. He rubbed her there again, his stroking finger pressing against her a bit harder as he drew a circle around that forbidden entrance to her body.

Her knees turned to water and she clung to his shoulders, writhing against his soap slickened front, in time to the slick caress of his nimble finger.

His free arm held her against him like an iron band as she writhed and howled at the pleasure of his touch. He could feel how close she was to climax but to her disappointment, he withdrew his hand, denying her that sweet release. He nuzzled her just below the ear, licked her earlobe and whispered, "Turn around."

Her shaking legs made following his command far more difficult than she could have ever imagined. She felt a tiny frission of Force wash through him and then the icy feel of of a fresh squirt of soap against the almost painfully tight bud of her right nipple. His hands took turns working the soap across her chest, raising a thick white lather on both breasts as he massaged them thoroughly.

His slickened hands worked the soap lower, across the hard plane of her belly. She was nearly dizzy with the almost tickling sensation, so similar to how it had felt when she'd done the same to him. He pressed against her back, leaning her forward with the pressure of his body and slipped his fingers inside the need moistened folds of her sex.

His throbbing shaft slipped between the apex of her thighs and he withdrew his maddening fingers from her cleft as the engorged tip of his arousal took their place. Slowly, deliberately, he rubbed his hardened length against her and pressed her further forward with one hand between her shoulder blades. He readjusted himself with his free hand and let the water wash away all traces of soap from his hands and her sex before slipping first one, then a second finger inside of her, filling her up with just those two digits.

She rolled her hips in rhythm with his slow, torturous caress, her gasping breaths turned to mindless cries of ecstacy as his fingers tortured her, not quite allowing her release, but keeping her so close to it that she was lost in a haze of sensation so overwhelming that she lost the ability to verbalize anything more than primal moans, grunts and gasps.

When she was so far gone that nothing existed but the sensation of his fingers as they demolished her mind, body and soul he rubbed her there with his thumb, gliding his fingers in and out of her, sliding his thumb up and down across that newly discovered pleasure center. It was too much, she screamed as her release sent her spinning out of control with more power than all of her previous climaxes combined.

Vaguely she felt his seed spurt from his body and heard it hit the shower wall with an audible splat that startled them both for a second. A heartbeat later he slammed his still pulsing cock into her quivvering sheath with so much force that he had to catch her as his thrust lifted her off the floor. He settled her feet back on the floor and held her firmly in place by her hips as he spun completely out of control, slamming into her from behind, faster and faster, harder and harder as she screamed with wild abandon, urging him on with a mindless hunger to match his own.

Their bodies, unable to sustain the sheer magnitude of sensation burst into a dazzling display of blazing white light.

On and on it went, building to new heights with every ravishing stroke until finally, as one they screamed their release and crumpled to the rough tile floor. With the last iota of his strength he turned them, pressing one hand between her breasts he braced her against his body so that they landed on their sides, her head protected from the floor by his bicept, his by his hand, their bodies still conjoined. Force energy rippled through them as they jerked and twitched together in the blinding glare of light emmanating from their skin.

Slowly, heartbeat by heartbeat the light faded and the wracking spasms melted away into bone shaking trembles which soon gave way to vibrating shivers.

It was a long time before either could think, speak or move.


	29. Chapter 29

Two days later…

The eleven First Order ships dropped out of hyperspace into the path of an oncoming behemouth.

"What is that thing?" Rey gasped as what appeared to be a monsterously huge TIE fighter fired a gigantic blue bolt from it's center belt, which only narrowly missed the Redemption.

"Shields up! All hands to battlestations! This is not a drill!" Captain Glissando shouted. "Scramble the fighters!"

Perez relayed the orders in both shipwide and fleet wide channels.

A second bolt hit the ship next to them and it exploded in a shower of sparks, leaving nothing behind that was bigger than a grain of sand. Rey and Ben both began to shake as the terror of tens of thousands of people aboard the nearby ships washed over them.

"I ordered shields up!" Glissando shouted angrily.

"Sir, their shields were up!" Came the terrified response from across the bridge.

"Get us out of here!" Ben shouted as another ship nearby disintegrated in a shower of sparks. He could feel that Rey felt the same tremor in the Force that he did as thousands more died screaming just off their port bow. The sensation was more terrible than words can describe.

"Cancel the fighters, full retreat!" Glissando shouted to Perez who relayed the orders.

A moment later the terrified young man at the navcomputer cried out, "We have a pathway for a short hop!"

"Go! Go! Go!" Rey screamed as the blue glow around the center ball of the Behemouth ship signaled it's readiness to fire another blast of killing energy into their quickly diminishing fleet.

The elongated star lines of hyperspace had never been such a welcome sight to any of them. "What, in the name of Vader's ghost, was that thing?" Ben half-shouted.

"It looked like a giant TIE fighter." Glissando frowned.

"I saw what it looked like! What was it? Did anybody manage to scan it?" Ben demanded, nearly frothing at the mouth in his enraged state of shock.

"Scan failed, sir!" Cried the helmsman. "It's like it's cloaked, we couldn't pick up a thing!"

"Ask the rest of the ships if they experienced the same problem!" Ben shouted and dashed over to the helm to check the scan failure for himself.

Perez tapped a few buttons and requested a sitrep. He frowned and repeated himself. "Sir, the other ships aren't answering."

"What?" Ben gasped.

"We've lost communications with the other ships." Perez said, dazed, confused and trying hard not break down. "They didn't make it to hyperspace."

"You're telling me we just lost ten of our best ships in under a minute?" Ben choked around the hard knot of fury clogging his throat.

"I'm afraid so, sir." Perez said mournfully.

"Call the entire fleet. Every first Order Ship with a gun and a hyperdrive. I want them all to meet us..." He glanced at Rey, who was staring, whitefaced out the front plasteel viewing panel. "Two parsecs this side of the Kessel safety zone. That's our staging area. And call Poe Dameron! Put him through to my quarters as soon as you reach him!"

Ben tamped down his anger enough to try to sooth his grief-stricken, terrified wife. He touched her face and her eyes snapped up to meet his. 'Come on, sweetheart, let's get off this bridge before we both fall apart.' He crooned soothingly into her mind.

She nodded unseeingly and allowed him to lead her away on numb legs. 'We're the only ones who made it out alive.' Even her mind-voice was dazed and full of tears.

The holostation in their room was blinking when they arrived. Ben settled Rey in a chair by the small dining table they'd had brought in during her first week aboard the ship and answered the call.

"Ben!" Poe was surprised to see him. "I thought it was Rey calling. Sorry, buddy, I got no news to tell ya just yet."

"I've got some for you!" Ben snarled, his anger clawing it's way to the surface. "We found your convoy killer." His already shaky grip on control began to slip. "I'm calling in the entire First Order Armada, every ship we've got, and I still don't know if it'll be enough. I lost my auxillery fleet in the time it took our navcomputer to configure a hyperspace hop. A single hit was all it took to completely disintegrate my ships!"

"Disintegrated?" Poe gawked. "As in… disintegrated?"

"As in destroyed completely! Gone! Nothing left!" Ben shouted furiously.

"Holy…" Poe gaped. "I had no idea! I'm real sorry man!"

"Save your sorries! They wont help the twenty thousand men I just lost." Ben was too irate to worry about being gracious.

"Poe." Rey said, finally coming out of her shock induced stupor. "It was horrible. Just, horrible."

"I'm sure it was, Rey, but don't you worry, we've brought down bigger monsters than this. We'll find a way to bring this one down, too." Poe said, confidently.

"It doesn't even show up on scanners, how can we find a way to destroy it if our guns can't even find a way to shoot it?" She was still somewhat dazed.

"We'll make a way if we have to." Poe said with a steely resolve. "Ben, hold off on assembling your armada, lets come up with a plan before you go putting all that bait in one spot."

"A plan?" Ben snarled. "I have a plan! I'm going to hit that thing with everything we've got!"

"Hold up, I'm begging you man, give me a little while to ferret out some information from the criminal elements out that way. Might be that somebody knows something that could save lives." Poe pleaded.

"You have five days! When my armada is ready, we're hunting this beast down and killing it." Ben had moved past irate. He was dangerously close to becoming completely beyond reason

"Five days? Come on, work with me, here! It'll take me three days just to get there! Take a step back and think about it! You've already lost twenty thousand men! Don't throw away twenty million more in your thirst for revenge! We need intel! I need time to gather that intel! Give me the time I need and I will deliver the intel you need! We'll bring this beast down together as the first action of your Galactic Federation!" Rey could hardly reconcile his words with the Poe Dameron she'd met a year ago. Leia's death had hit him hard enough to knock some sense into him, that had been apparent for months, but she never imagined that it had knocked this much sense into him.

Rey could feel Ben's rage growing with every word Poe spoke, until it now bordered on demented. She slipped into his mind and was terrified by what she found there. She laid a soothing hand against the side of his face and looked deeply into his eyes. 'Please, Ben, I need *you* here with me.' She soothed. 'It's alright to feel the pain, don't let rage rob you of your grief for your people.' She felt a wavering in the rage he was using to shield himself from the pain. 'Feel me. Feel how much I love you and need you here with me. I'm here with you, be here with me. Grieve with me and I'll grieve with you. Come back to me, Ben. Please.'

He swallowed hard and took a long ragged breath. one excrutiating heartbeat at a time he tamped down his rage until he was finally able to regain some semblence of control.

'He's right.' She thought to him in a calm voice when she felt him take back control of his emotions. 'We need to know what we're up against before we go putting millions more in harm's way. We need to find that thing's weakness. Give him the time he needs.'

"Alright. I'll give you time." Ben's voice was a sound as harsh as boulders grinding together. He took another calming breath. "Get me that intel, price is no object, the First Order will make good on anything you promise."

"You got it!" Poe made a whew sound. "You had me worried there for a minute! Just take it easy, I need to know as much as you can tell me about this thing so I can sort the good intel from the bad."

"I want every bit of intel you can get your hands on." Ben insisted, but described every detail he could remember about the Behemouth TIE anyway.

After the call ended Ben used the coms panel in the room to rescind his order to gather the fleet.

It was far too early for sleep but both Jedi were suffering under the emotional battering they had just been through with Ben's melt down and the events that caused it. They both just needed to be held and so they lay down with their minds intertwined, feeling each other's feelings and holding each other tightly as the hours and the pain slowly slipped away.


	30. Chapter 30

Three days later…

A voice crackled through Ben's simcap headset, "Sir, a rebel cruiser has just dropped out of hyperspace and is requesting permission to send over a shuttle."

"Send them to Bay 94. I'll be there shortly." Ben replied then keyed up to tell Rey that her friends had arrived.

The pair climbed out of their simulators and made for the specified shuttle bay. "Do you suppose we have time for a quick shower?" Rey asked, pulling at the front of her flight suit.

"I can meet them if you want to get freshened up." He leaned down and kissed her. "Just don't leave me alone with these people for too long."

"Maybe you should freshen up, too." She suggested, wrinkling her nose at him. They'd been in the simcaps for nearly eight hours not counting a short lunch break halfway through and the flight suits were designed to not breathe. "They can wait a few minutes."

He sniffed at her collar. "Maybe you're right." He teased. "If you smell like that, I don't even want to know what I smell like."

She made a face and chuffed, "You smell like a wet Wookiee."

"Oh, well, they might not notice it then." He teased.

She slapped him on the arm and laughed, "You're terrible!"

He did a very good impression of the Wookiee sound for 'yes' and she looked at him in amused astonishment. "What?" He grinned. "I did grow up with a Wookiee around all the time."

"I'm having a hard time picturing Chewbacca teaching you to do that." She shook her head.

"He didn't." He winked at her. "I learned it to annoy him."

"You *wanted* to annoy Chewie?" She looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"I was a very bored child." He said with a shrug. "Getting a rise out of Chewie was the highlight of my day sometimes."

"What else can you say?" She was eaten up with curiousity now.

"Mostly just swear words…" He said evasively.

They reached their quarters while she was still pestering him to tell her the Wookiee swear words he knew. "I don't believe you." She said as they entered the refresher and shucked off their flight suits. "Chewie is a gentleman, I've never heard him use foul language."

"That's because you never shaved the hair off of one side of his face," He grinned devilishly. "Or braided his arms together while he was sleeping."

"You didn't!" She gasped, then started laughing so hard she could barely breathe as the images flashed through her mind.

Ten minutes later they emerged from their room, clean, dry, and still smiling. The rebel shuttle was just landing as they entered Bay 94. The ramp dropped down and Poe was the first to emerge, followed closely by Finn, C3PO, R2-D2, BB-8, and bringing up the rear was Chewbacca, himself.

The humor fled from them both as Chewie shoved his way past the others with a furious growl and lifted Ben off the floor by the throat. He roared into Ben's face and shook him roughly.

Rey recovered from her shock very quickly and grabbed the light saber off of Ben's belt. She ignited it as she chopped downward over the Wookiee's forearms. The hissing blade came to a halt so close to Chewie's fur that tiny puffs of smoke rose around the blade and the smell of burning hair wafted through the air.

"Either you remove them or I will." Her voice was full of deadly menace and her eyes as hard as stone.

Chewie barked and growled a few words at her.

"I know he did," She said in a tone that invited no further arguements. "Now turn him loose."

Chewie dropped Ben and roared his frustration.

Ben hit the floor in a heap, choking and gagging as air rushed back into his lungs.

Chewie let out a litany of barks, growls, roars and purrs that Rey didn't quite understand. "You can say anything you want to, but don't touch him again." She said, moving herself to stand between them, Ben's saber pointed at Chewie's throat.

Chewie was obviously not ready to give up just yet as he pressed his case in the low rolling growls and purrs of his language, gesturing toward Ben.

"He was different then." Rey said, her body as tense as a bowstring. "Snoke poisoned his mind against everyone who loved him, but he isn't under Snoke's influence, anymore. He killed him and turned away from the Dark side."

Ben lurched to his feet, holding his throat. "I'm sorry Chewie," He croaked. "I really am." He tasted blood in the back of his mouth and swallowed painfully to try to clear it away. "If I could take it back, I would." His throat hurt so much it was hard to speak.

Chewie roared at him.

"I know." Ben rasped. "I know you loved him!" Tears slipped over his lower lids. "Believe me, I hate what I did just as much as you do!"

Chewie made a mournful sound.

"I miss him, too." Ben's damaged windpipe was making speech more difficult with every word but he knew he had to make things as right as possible with his father's lifelong companion. He reached out and took the light saber from Rey's hand extinguished the blade and put it away.

"I'm not the same person I was then. You of all people, know that he never gave up hope that I'd come back from the Dark side." His voice was fading fast into a hoarse whisper. "Well, I have and now I'm doing everything I can to make up for the things I've done." Ben's voice gave out then.

"It's true." Rey spoke up for him. "He's not Kylo Ren anymore. He's not the same person who killed Han. That person no longer exists." She placed a hand on Chewie's forearm. "He's Ben Solo, again. The same person who braided your arms together and learned to swear in your language and… and shaved half your face, as a child." Her eyes pleaded with him to believe her.

Chewie made a garbled sound.

Rey relaxed visibly. "He did!"

Chewie gurggled, purred, barked and growled for several seconds.

Rey smiled and shot an amused look at Ben. "No, he didn't mention that!"

Chewie gave a series of short rolling growls.

"Yeah, it sounds like he was quite a little terror." She agreed as everybody else around them breathed a sigh of relief. "Why don't you and I go see if we can find a quiet place to chat and you can tell me all about what he was like as a kid." Rey led Chewie off while the others watched in wide eyed amazement. "Were you in dire need of an ammo pack when you discovered that he'd replaced them all with sweeties?"

Chewie's garbled reply drifted back to the others as the duo disappeared into the corridor.

"She really has a way with murderous savages, huh?" Finn mused. Shaking his head in bemusement he glanced at the others and frowned. "What?"

Poe was gaping at him, Ben was glaring at him, C3PO did a double take between him and Ben, R2 made a whaaa sound and BB-8 bleeped out electronic wee wooh.

"Well, I meant… uhh, mad… angry… Chewie! I was talking about Chewbacca!" A flustered Finn sputtered and tried to back-pedal. Seeing Ben's scowl deepen he threw his hands up and cried out in frustration, "I wasn't talking about you!"

Poe clapped Finn on the shoulder and said with a rueful grin, "You're really not helping yourself at all here, buddy." He looked at Ben and said jokingly, "You might want to add a few classes on social graces to your stormtrooper program."

That didn't manage to get the scowl off Ben's face either.

Poe sighed and shook his head, "Come on, we got work to do."


	31. Chapter 31

"Master Ben! Oh! It's so good to see you! Might I say, you look quite grown up since the last time we met!" C3PO recovered himself and piped in with his usual overly cultured voice. "Of course, that was before you destroyed Master Luke's school, murdered his students, tried to dominate the galaxy and killed Master Solo."

R2-D2 made a whistling chirrup sound and BB-8 spun his head toward first C3PO then Ben and back to C3PO before he let out a series of electronic beeps and whirs.

"3PO, I'd be lying if I said it's good to see you." Ben said almost lightheartedly despite the scratchiness of his voice. "You stay here."

R2-D2 and BB-8 both chirruped and whistled in their electronic percolations as they followed the humans out of the shuttle bay.

"Was it something I said?" C3PO whined as he watched the others leave him behind. "Humans!" He threw his hands up in disgust. "So rude!"

R2 stopped at the doorway and spun his visual receptor toward his golden counterpart. He called out a series of twittering bleeps, bloops, chirps and whistles.

"Well, I never!" An affronted C3PO huffed. "Why is everyone so rude to me?" He wailed.

Ben lead the men and droids to a large conference room. Once everyone was gathered around the long oval shaped table he tapped a few keys on the holoprojector control panel in front of him and an image of the Behemouth TIE appeared above the center of the table.

"We weren't able to capture any visual feeds of this beast, so we'll have to work off of this sketch." He said apologetically. "See this area here?" He pointed. "This is where the lazers that disintegrated my ships fired from. I have no idea what this indented area here is, but it looks an aweful lot like the main weapon on the Death Stars."

"And how big is this thing?" Poe asked, peering at the image.

"As near as we can figure…" Ben tapped a few keys and a scale model of the Redemption appeared beside the Behemouth. "That's the ship we're standing on."

Poe whistled. "That's one big eyeball."

Finn squinted at the Behemouth. "Does it have any weapons besides these two? Defensive weapons against small fighters?"

"Unknown." Ben said. "We weren't there long enough to launch our fighters."

"At least we have a good sketch to go by, it'll help us gather intel." Poe said then asked. "Where was it when you ran into it?"

"The main shipping lane between the Kessel Cluster and the the Ephysian System." A few more taps and a map of the area appeared. "Here, by Ephys four."

"Hmm, I have some contacts in that area. It shouldn't take too long to track down someone who knows something." Poe said thoughtfully, then switched gears. "Off topic, but, how are you holding up? Everything alright with you, you know, temper wise?"

Ben gave him a blank look then answered stiffly. "I'm fine."

"That's good to hear." Poe eyed him for a few seconds. "And Rey? How's she holding up with all this?"

"She's fine, too. What are you getting at?" Ben asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Poe hessitated for a second, then decided to lay out his concerns. "It's just that you had a pretty major meltdown the other day, and I need to know that if this doesn't go well you aren't going to freak out and make things worse."

Ben briefly considered smashing the rebel leader's face in for his insolence, but tamped down that urge. "I'll worry about me, you worry about the task at hand." He said in an aloof tone.

"I'm worrying about everything I need to worry about." Poe countered. "And from what I saw the other day, that includes you."

Ben really really wanted to smash the other man's face in but he checked himself. "I wont pretend that I don't still struggle sometimes, but I'm not going to do anything that might endanger this mission."

Poe looked at him for a few beats then relaxed. "Alright, That'll have to do."

"Yes," Ben's voice was cold despite being quite ragged from Chewie's choke hold. "It will."

"BB-8, get a copy of that sketch and relay it back to our ship." Poe instructed then turned to look at Ben again. "At the risk of getting too personal, I'd just like to say that I do appreciate how hard this must be for you. I should have chosen my words more carefully before." He paused a beat. "You're one of probably two men ever to return from the Dark side. I don't expect you to be perfect, I just need to know we can count on you when the going gets tough."

Ben reached out his feelings toward the smaller man and felt the sincerity of his intentions. He relaxed an almost imperceptible amount. "We will bring this thing down. You can count on that." He briefly debated with himself about saying more then decided to trust in the belief that being open and honest with your friends and allies is the best way to keep them. "You saw me in a moment of weakness and you saw Rey help me through it. I can't promise it'll never happen again, but I can promise that as long as she's by my side you have nothing to worry about where I'm concerned."

"In that case…" Poe smiled and withdrew something from his pocket. "Leia gave me these to hold for you, in the event that you ever did find your way back to the light." He held out his closed fist and waited for Ben to accept Leia's gift.

Ben frowned at Poe's fist then reached for what he was being offered. A shaft of pain sliced through his heart when Poe withdrew his hand, leaving Leia and Han's original wedding rings in his palm. They were the rings his parents had worn up until they'd gotten a new set to celebrate ten years of wedded bliss and the joyous news of Leia's second pregnancy. He'd been nine the last time he'd seen them, but he recognised them instantly.

The rings weren't flashy or all that expensive, Han's pride hadn't allow him to use Leia's money to buy her a ring, and Leia's good sense hadn't allowed her to buy him a ring that would outshine hers, but they were the rings that the pair had worn throughout the happiest years of their lives.

"She said when you did turn away from the Dark side, you'd need those." Poe said gravely. "She also instructed me to tell you, and I quote, 'no matter how tempted you might be to give Rey everything, you need to remember that happiness is as priceless as a gift given from the heart'."

Ben fought back the tears that stung at his eyes and was instantly glad to have been choked until his throat was raw enough to give the sudden added harshness in his voice a perfectly banal reason to be there. "How could she have known it would be Rey?"

"Your mother was the sharpest person I've ever met." Poe smiled sadly. "It wouldn't suprise me if she knew how many kids you'll have and what you'll name them."


	32. Chapter 32

Three weeks later…

Poe Dameron's face in the holocall image looked excited. "Great news! I found a guy that knows a guy that knows someone who knows something about your mysterious Giant TIE." He said without preamble.

"And?" Ben prompted.

"And he says he has datadiscs that detail the weapons and propulsion systems of that ship. Apparently this someone helped design it." Poe said triumphantly.

"Excellent." Ben's heart leapt, this was exactly the intel they needed.

"It aint gonna be cheap though." Poe warned.

"Once we've verified that the discs are real, he can have whatever he wants." Ben waved dismissively.

"In that case," Poe grinned. "Have twenty million in a standby account, he knows his life is forfeit the moment he hands over those discs and he isn't willing to wait around to catch an assassin's blaster bolt. Not everyone can do that the way you do."

Ben was mildly surprised at the massive fee but swallowed his shock, after all the best intel is never cheap. "Consider it done."

When the transmission ended Ben turned to Rey, "I saw by the logs that you reached a hundred hours in the simcap yesterday."

"I did!" She beamed at him, delighted that he had taken such an interest in her progress. She still wasn't used to being in the spotlight of someone's attention. "You owe me a TIE Silencer!"

"Walk with me." He offered her his hand, which she took, and escorted her out of their quarters.

When they turned toward the interior of the ship, away from all of the hangars, her curiousity was aroused. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere beautiful." He said cryptically as he lead her to a section of the ship she had never been to before. "In here." He tapped the button to open the door to a cavernous chamber.

The room was entirely painted in a velvety flat black, slightly oblong with a high domed ceiling, no windows, smooth rounded walls, and a slightly concave floor that sloped gently toward the center. Their footsteps echoed as he lead her deep into the room, which had to be at least four times the size of any room she had ever been in.

"What is this place?" She looked around with a slight frown.

"I thought you might want to see what your wedding present actually looks like." He said softly, then called in a loud echoing voice, "Activate."

The room went completely dark for a beat then came alive with a holoprojection of every known feature of the charted galaxy. Stars - in blues, reds, yellows, and oranges, - some no bigger than dust motes, some the size of her fist and a few even larger than her head - twinkled to life all around them.

Directly above the center of the room the largest star of all glowed bright white, illuminating them with it's vibrancy. Partical clouds and nebulae appeared as smudges in a variety of colors from etherial violets to pastel yellows and everything in between. Everywhere she looked Rey found breath-taking beauty that she'd never even dreamed could exist.

"It's so beautiful." She breathed in wide eyed amazement.

Ben couldn't tear his eyes off of her, to him the enraptured look on her face was far more lovely than any view the room had to offer.

In a daze she wandered around, drinking in every detail.

Ben walked with her, his eyes never leaving her face.

"Why have you never shown me this place before?" She asked after a long time of being too speechless to form the words.

"I was waiting for the right occassion." He said quietly enough that his voice did not echo.

"What occasion is this?" She asked, turning her wide, dazzled eyes to meet his.

He held out his hands, the tips of his two smallest fingers nearly touching, nestled in his right palm was a creamy white Alderaanian opal band. It was carved entirely from a single opal, it's inner surface lined in platinum and even in the simulated starlight it seemed to glow from within with otherworldly lights in shades of blue, green, pink and violet.

In his left palm was a shiney black Correlian Diamond band. It was made of a dozen squarecut black diamonds channel set into a simple band of black Correlian Smelt, the gleaming stones reflected the lights all around them in a brilliant display.

"My mother sent these to me along with a message to remind me that what I've found with you is worth more than anything else in the galaxy." He paused to swallow his heart. "My parents wore these rings through the happiest years of their lives... Before my father got the hairbrained idea to replace them with a flashier set." He made a face that clearly spoke of how big of a mistake he thought that had been. "Today would have been their thirty second wedding anniversary and marks twenty two years since they took these off. I thought it would be fitting if today was the day they were put back onto the fingers of a couple that are madly in love."

Rey was overwhelmed by the beauty of the moment, the galaxy slowly rotating around them, the rings, the sentiment behind them… but more than anything, she was completely overcome by her love for the man standing before her with his heart shining in his inky dark eyes.

Unable to speak she slipped into his mind with tears streaming down her face and let him feel how overjoyed she was by this moment.

With trembling hands and tears in his eyes he slid the softly rounded band of opal onto her finger. Feeling as though her skin was the only thing keeping her from bursting into a billion pieces she slipped the gleaming black band onto his. As soon as she finished placing the ring on his finger he crushed her to him and kissed her with every iota of emotion they were both feeling.

Overcome by the depth and breadth of their feelings, they made love right there under the gleaming stars with their entire beings - heart, body, mind and soul - as their cries of passion echoed throughout their own private galaxy.


	33. Chapter 33

A few days later…

Rey stood nervously before the holoprojector, on the bridge of the Redemption, trying hard not to fidget.

"You can handle this." Ben said, placing an encouraging kiss on her brow. "I'm going to be right here with you, and I'll be right here," he tapped her temple. "When you need me."

She grimaced. "I don't understand why I can't just wear my own clothes, I wouldn't be as nervous in them." She gestured at the fitted black First Order uniform he'd insisted she wear. "This is more uncomfortable than a wet flightsuit. How do you wear this stuff all the time?"

"I told you, they wont believe you're really a military commander if you don't look like it." He ducked his head and looked her in the eyes. "You're gonna do great, just try to relax. You'll only see them one at a time, pretend it's just you and them."

"Ten seconds." Perez warned.

Ben backed away a few steps so as to avoid interfering with the transmission.

Perez counted down to one then nodded at her to let her know she was being broadcasted.

"Good afternoon, ladies, gentlemen, and nonbinary beings. Thank you all for agreeing to meet with me today." She clasped her hands together to stop them from shaking. "The reason for this conference is to discuss the formation of a new system of government that we can all agree upon and prosper from."

'Don't forget to breathe.' Ben whispered into her mind.

"You've all had a month to consider the First Order's proposal and I'm sure you have plenty of questions and suggestions. I would like to respond to those, so please press your call button and I'll respond as best I can."

'Doing great!' Ben thought encouragingly.

The first speaker, a representative from Sulist, appeared as a holoprojection in front of her.

"Thank you, Supreme Leader," He began formally. "The leadership of the Sulist system has examined the First Order Proposal very carefully. Our main concern is this proposed Federation Congress." He grew even stiffer. "Do you honestly believe that densely populated systems, like ours, should have the same amount of representatives as less populated systems? How can our interests be adequately represented by the same number of people as is granted to a system one tenth our size?"

"That is a fair question, sir, and I am glad you asked it." She looked at Ben through the Sulistian's holoprojection.

'Because every member of the federation is equally important to it's success.' He prompted.

"By insuring that every member system has an equal voice in this federation, we insure not just the Federation's success but the success of those member systems." She took a deep breath. "Think of it like a body… it can be argued that the brain is the most important part of the body and so should be given extra consideration… but what good is a brain without nerves to carry it's signals throughout the body? And what good are nerves without muscles to perform the actions requested? And what good are muscles without bones to stabilize them? All member systems, large and small, are necessary and important to the success of the Federation. They will be granted equal representation reguardless of how densely populated they are."

'Amazing answer! Keep this up and you'll have them climbing all over each other to join up immediately.' Ben's voice sounded in her head.

"So, you're saying that a planet like Kessel is equally as important as a planet like Coruscant?" The Sulistian said argumentatively.

'Without Kessel there is no Bacta!' Ben prompted.

"Coruscant has long been a center of government power, it has a storied history and a huge population, that is all true." She listened to Ben list off the more important aspects of Kessel as she spoke. "Kessel is mostly populated by miners, prisoners, guards and spice runners. That is also all true." She relaxed slightly and moved her hands to her hips. "But consider this, the vast majority of the spice mined on Kessel is refined to make a number of very important medical products, including Bacta." Her voice raised as if in sermon. "The prisoners held on Kessel account for most of the worst criminals in the galaxy, aren't those guards doing us all a huge service by keeping them there?"

She began to speak with real passion. "And without those miners, how would we be able to gather the spice that gets refine into the Bacta that saves countless lives each and every day?" She squinted at the holo. "How many people in the galaxy have benefitted from the existence and industry of Kessel? Do you honestly believe, sir, that Kessel deserves less of a voice in government because it is less densely populated than Coruscant?"

"Well… uhh… that's just… uhm…" the being stammered then cleared his throat. "I have no more questions." He disappeared.

A scaley skinned Arutian appeared before her.

"Good afternoon, Supreme Leader." It said in the whispery hiss voice of it's species. "We Aru have read your proposal." It's lips pulled back, revealing a mouthfull of needle sharp teeth. "We wonder, what is in it for us? We do not need your trades."

"The Federation is about more than trade, it is an alliance, a partnership if you will." She said and thought toward Ben, 'Help!'

'Aru has been in a state of civil unrest for centuries.' He prompted, flipping through pages on his datapad.

"It is my understanding that Aru as a history of unrest. If Aru were to join the Federation the Arutian people would be able to request military assistance to finally bring a lasting peace to their homeworld and the Federation will even help them to rebuild and repair their society from the ravages of these past centuries of war." She answered with feeling.

"We will consider your proposal further." The Lizard creature assured her and disappeared.

On and on it went, question after question, species after species, concern after concern. Ben, used his datapad frequently to fill her head full of needed information so that she came off as informed, confident, and intelligent. The two of them working together won over many skeptics.

After the conference ended Poe called, "You were amazing!" He said, glowing with pride. "I didn't know you knew so much about so many places!"

"I don't," She beamed. "If not for Ben I'd have been completely lost! He's the amazing one!" Ben stepped up next to her and waved to Poe. Rey hugged him around the waist. "He fed me all the answers! I swear it!"

"Well, you both did an amazing job, then." Poe said with a broad smile.


	34. Chapter 34

Two days later…

"When are you going to place the order for my TIE?" Rey asked through the simcap headset as she drove headlong toward Ben's simulated fighter at full speed.

"Pull up!" Ben shouted and flinched as she passed overhead within inches of disaster. "Are you trying to get us both killed?"

She rolled her eyes and said with mild annoyance, "No. I was shooting down the guy who was about to shoot you down."

"Oh." He flipped his fighter up on it's side and did a tight U turn to fall in beside her. "A little warning would have been nice."

"If you had been paying attention you wouldn't have needed one." She frowned. It wasn't like him to let his attention wander. "Why are you so distracted?"

"I don't know." He admitted. "Something's off."

"What kind of something?" She had a sneaking suspicion.

"I don't know. Something doesn't feel right." He said ominously.

"Is it about the conference?" She hoped.

"No, that went way better than I'd even hoped for." He said dismissively.

"The datadiscs?" 'Anything but what I think it is?' She thought to herself. Their minds were disconnected, as usual in the normal events of everyday life, as both relished their privacy too much to stay connected all the time.

"I don't think so. I just have this feeling like I'm missing some very important piece of information but I don't even know about what." He truly couldn't figure it and it was annoying him to no end.

Rey worried her bottom lip a moment before saying, "That must be bothersome." In a less than successful attempt at sympathy. The truth was she knew what was bothering him, but wasn't quite ready to talk about it just yet.

"It is." He grimaced and tapped on his control panel. "Lets see how we do against a dozen. Join with me."

"I'd rather not." She said as a dozen X-wings appeared in front of them.

"You'd rather not?" His confusion was evident in his voice. "Why not?"

"We can do this without joining, it's only a dozen." The false note in her voice was evident in her own ears, she hoped it didnt carry over the coms equipment.

He tapped a few more buttons, their screens went blank and both simcaps opened with a hiss. He ripped off his headgear. "What aren't you telling me?" He demanded angrily as she removed her coms equipment.

"What makes you think I'm not telling you something?" She asked defensively.

"You've never once refused me access to your mind. Not once." He moved to tower over her, pointing in her face he said, "You're hiding something."

She blanched.

"I knew it!" He spun away from her, took two steps then turned back towards her. "What is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said looking guilty as sin.

He stepped in and grabbed her by the bicepts. He felt so betrayed that anger sizzled through his nlood hot and sharply. "Stop lying to me!"

"You're hurting me! Let go!" She demanded instantly becoming angry herself.

He let go of her and raked both hands through his hair, staring at her with a wild look in his eyes. "Are you leaving me?"

"What?" She gasped. "No! Never!" She stepped in and wrapped her arms around his middle.

"Promise me?" His voice was so heartbreakingly pleading that she broke down and decided to tell him the truth.

"Ben, it isn't like that at all." She said gently and reached up to cup his face with both hands. Gazing into his eyes she smiled tenatively and said, "I'm pregnant."

His whole demeanor changed in a second. He went from anxious, scared and near tears to completely blank. His eyes grew as round as saucers his mouth gaped open, "Pregnant?"

"I had it confirmed in medbay this morning..." He was still gaping at her by the time she finished speaking and that made her nervous. "Are you upset?"

He blinked at her a few times, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Say something, damn you!" She snapped angrily.

"A baby?" He said after long enough to make it uncomfortable. "Seriously?"

"You are upset." She wanted to cry.

"Upset?" He blinked owlishly. "No."

She reached out to his mind and slipped inside easily.

He wasn't feeling a thing. Nothing. It was like his emotions were switched off completely.

She frowned. "Are you ok?"

"I think I need to sit down." He said then stumbled and tripped against the side of his simcap.

"You're not ok!" She gasped and helped him to get sat down on the floor with his back against the simulator capsule. "Breathe." She said soothingly. "Just breathe."

She heard her voice echo through his mind, 'I'm pregnant... I'm pregnant… I'm pregnant'

"Don't you dare faint on me!" She demanded.

Suddenly, without warning, his emotions switched back on.

Disbelief, followed by terror, zinged through him then disappeared in a burst of joy. "We're having a baby!" He whooped. "A baby!"

He scrambled to his knees and kissed her belly. "I can't believe it!"

She laughed a little hysterically as the stress of the last few minutes faded into a shared sense of joy.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" He pressed his mouth against the fabric of her flight suit. "Hello in there."

"Stop that!" She giggled. "It's way too soon to tell if it's a boy or a girl and I'm pretty sure it can't hear you."

"When?" His eyes were huge and glassy when he looked up at her.

"Uhm… well, if the tests are right… we've got about 8 months to wait." She smoothed the hair back from his forehead and leaned down to kiss it.

"I bet it was the shower!" He beamed, wrapping his arms around the backs of her thighs and standing up, holding her so that she was head and shoulders above him. "I knew that bright light had to mean something!"

"I think you might be right about that." She giggled. "Put me down, people are staring at us."

"We're having a baby!" He yelled then grinned up at her. "There, now they know we're not crazy."


	35. Chapter 35

Poe Dameron stepped off the shuttle ramp looking like he'd just escaped from a torture chamber. Both of his eyes were blackened, his bottom lip was swelled to twice it's size on one side, and he had a lump on his forehead the size of a fist that was decorated in a variety of painful looking colors.

Finn stepped off behind him looking fresh as a spring morning in comparison with only a slight limp and one eye swollen shut. Chewbacca followed Finn with no visible injuries.

"What happened to you two?" Rey asked incredulously.

"We got the datadiscs." Poe grimaced.

"Were they inside a hungry rapthar?" Her eyes were bulging.

"Close," Poe replied, holding his lip. "A bar full of angry pirates… several of who apparently understood Wookiee, and weren't thrilled to be compared to the smell of a Kashyyki latrine." He glared at Chewie, who shrugged, and then handed two tiny discs to Ben. "It better be worth it."

"Lets find out." Ben said and turned to leave.

BB-8 twittered from the ramp.

"Yeah, come on." Poe waved him over.

"You guys go ahead, me and Chewie have some talking to do." Rey waved them off. "We'll catch the short version later." To Ben she thought, 'Don't say anything about the baby.'

Chewie purred questioningly.

'Hadn't planned to until we're together again.' He thought back smugly.

"No," Rey smiled brightly. "Nothing like that!" She threaded her arm through his and started leading him away. "It's good news actually."

'Maybe not even then, let see what's on those discs first.' She replied.

In the large conference room Ben inserted one datadisc into the holoprojector and tapped a few buttons on it's control display. A five foot tall projection of what appeared to be a TIE fighter appeared.

Poe leaned in close to look at it's surface. "Can you enlarge this portion here?" He pointed to an area below the midline of the 'cockpit' area. Ben tapped the screen then flicked his fingers apart and the desired section grew to fill the whole viewing area. "Oh, bummer." Poe sounded depressed. "It's bristling with turbo lazers."

Ben frowned, tapped the screen a few times and the image was replaced with a list of weaponry. "So, this thing has it all. As I suspected, that dimple is a planet killer." He brought up another page. "The belt is a fleet killer." And another page. "And it has turbolazers with overlapping fields of fire."

He glanced around the room. "Any suggestions?"

"Is surrender an option?" Poe grimaced.

Ben ignored the morbid joke and swapped out the discs. A few taps later the propulsion schematic appeared over the table. "Ok, these bits that look like solar arrays are the sublight engines." A few more taps "This bit here is the hyperdrive." He pointed to a place on the back of the 'cockpit' section.

"Oh great! This thing has all the bells and whistles." Finn complained.

A few more taps and a page of information floated before them. "The thrust to mass ratio of this thing is insane. Whoever designed this must have been involved in the death star projects, it corrects every flaw of both." Ben said grimly. "It's fast, nimble, and deadly at all levels." He tapped the control screen one more time and schmatic cover page appeared. "Project - Soul Reaper."

BB-8 was the first to react. He let out a squeal and hid under the table.

"Well," Poe said dryly, "At least they didn't give it a terrifying name or anything."

Ben let out a chuff of laughter and gave Poe an amused look. "Were you expecting it to be named 'Sweet Dreams'?"

"Hoped, maybe." Poe said ruefully.

Ben ejected the disc and handed both back to Poe. "I took the liberty of copying these to the Redemption's memory bank. I'll get my people looking for a weakness, you do the same." He instructed.

"Will do." Poe agreed and slipped the discs into his pocket. "It might be time to warn the galaxy that there is a certifiable nightmare on the loose. We could use all the help we can get."

"See if you can get ahold of a blueprint for the entire thing, first." Ben instructed. "We need more information."

"Alright." By his tone it was clear that Poe wasn't happy about sitting on the news of such a deadly foe.

Ben laid his hand on Poe's shoulder and said gravely. "As long as it sticks to just killing ships, it's best not to bring attention to it, doing so might cause whoever's in charge to start killing planets. None of us wants that. Get as much intel as you can, We need to know who's in charge, what they intend, where they come from, what locations they frequent… Anything could prove to be the key to victory."

Poe searched Ben's face then nodded, "I'll get started right away."

"Good." Ben said, straightening to his full towering height. "I'll go locate Rey and Chewie and meet you in the hangar."

"I don't understand why we couldn't at least tell our friends." Ben pouted quietly, snuggling up behind Rey and wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"They have enough to worry about right now." Rey snuggled closer as they watched their friends depart. "I like that you think of them as 'our friends', though." She smiled softly.

"But a baby is great news." He said mildly. "I'm sure they could use some after what we saw on those discs."

"Yeah," She said snarkily then mocked a fake announcement. "Hey guys, you look like you've gone a few rounds with a hungry rancor. Whats that? An unkillable super weapon is haunting the area? No worries! We're having a baby!" She giggled. "I'm sure they'd have been in the mood to celebrate."

He chuckled on a sigh, "Ok, next time then."

"Sometime when we can all celebrate the news." She insisted.

He teased, "I'm pretty sure they'll notice for themselves once you start showing."

"Hopefully this business will be far behind us by then." She said then changed the subject. "At least we did get to brighten Chewie's day a little bit."

"Yeah," Ben said, gazing at his wife lovingly as they watched the Falcon pass through the maglock in bay 94, fade into a tiny dot then disappear. "It was his home for longer than I've been alive, it's only right he should have it." He kissed her crown. "Miss it yet?"

"Yeah," She said in a tight voice. "Of course I do, it was the ship that carried me from Jakku to you with a dozen adventures in between."

"Adventures, eh?" He smiled and wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin lightly on the top of her head. "Well, you don't need an old freighter for those."

"No, I suppose not." She snuggled into his chest. "Still, I really wanted to try out the Kessel run in her."

He chuckled. "Is it any wonder that I adore you?"

She made a low purring sound like a hum, "It's wonderful that you do, does that count?"

"That you think so is all that matters to me." He turned her around and kissed her tenderly.

"Come on," He released her and stepped back. "I've got just the thing to brighten your day."

"Oh?" She was genuinely curious.

"This way." He took her hand and lead her back through the side entrance to the main forward fighter bay, which contained both his TIE Silencer and the elevator to the bridge area, through that bay to the bay next to it, a mechanical repair bay. "The color wasn't quite right when it arrived…" He said grinning. "So, I had it repainted. What do you think? Close enough to the color of your ocean?"

Rey's whole face brightened as she stared through bulging eyes at her brand new TIE Silencer.

Stunned, she drifted forward, rubbed a hand lightly across the ocean blue inner wing, "It's perfect!" She gushed, turned and threw herself at him with a happy squeal.

"Wanna try her out?" He asked as she peppered happy kisses all over his face.

Rey stopped noisily kissing his face and beamed at him. "Absolutely!"

"Get suited up then." He grinned and set her back on her feet with a peck on the lips.

"Now remember, this isnt a simcap." Ben warned ten minutes later as they started their preflight check list. "Respect that fact and you'll do great."

"Yes, dear." She said with the verbal equivalent of an eye roll.

"Make sure you configure your inertial compensater before you try anything fancy." He reminded her as he flipped the switch to turn his engines on. "There are some things about a maiden flight that you just can't simulate and that's the most important one."

"Hmm, the inertial compensater," she asked, mockingly, "is that the blue knob or the red leaver?"

He chuckled, her humor might be out of place, but he enjoyed it anyway. "Fine, I'm shutting up. Just… be careful."

She giggled to herself and smoothly glided through the maglock as if this weren't her first time in a real fighter. "I made it outside alive!" She teased as he exited the maglock in from the next bay over. "I get to stop being careful now, right?" She teased then shot forward in a straight line at full speed. The inertia slammed her back in her seat so she let off the throttle and adjusted the compensater before doing the same straight line test again.

"Hey! Calm down over there!" Ben pulled up beside her as she adjusted the setting again.

"Just doing as ordered, Sir!" She mocked then hit the throttle again. This time she didn't feel even a slight tug toward her seat so she jerked both sticks back until she completed one quick back flip. Slowed down again to adjust the false gravity generator to hold her to her seat more then hit the throttle and tried it again.

"Alright, I think I'm ready for some fancy stuff now." She reported, happy with her adjustments.

"Join with me, let's break her in right."


	36. Chapter 36

"What do you say we head down to the surface? Find a pretty spot?" Ben kissed the side of Rey's neck as she stared pensively at a beautiful patchwork of blue and green on a planet just outside of charted space and outside the view panel in their quarters aboard the Redemption. It had been four months since she'd told him about the baby, and even though her belly had grown rather enormous in that time he could still barely look at her without wanting her. Though she was more than halfway through her pregnancy she was even lovlier to him than she had been the first time he had ever seen her.

"It would be nice to feel some sunlight for a change." She mused then teased, "I'm almost as pale as you anymore."

"You still have a ways to go for that." He chuckled, rubbing her belly with both hands, cuddled into her back. "But it would be nice to touch solid ground for a while."

"Mmm, yes, and feel a breeze, smell some flowers…" she said dreamily. "See how my TIE handles in atmosphere." Despite her rapidly expanding waistline and sore back Rey prefered the cramped cockpit of her Silencer far more than the comfort of a shuttle's passenger cabin.

"No shuttle?" He sounded slightly surprised.

"No way." She replied, at the rate her belly was growing she'd be lucky to even fit inside her TIE for much longer, she was unwilling to pass up an opportunity to fly it while she still could.

"Oh!" Rey gasped at the sight of a frothy waterfall cascading down a sheer cliff surrounded by dense green jungle. "How beautiful!"

"Wanna land here?" Ben asked for the tenth time as they skimmed the treetops side by side in their matched pair of TIE Silencers.

"Yes!" She exclaimed awed by her first glimpse of a rainbow, she sent the image to his mind. "Look at all those colors!"

Ben couldn't help but grin over her obvious excitement.

They landed in a small clearing nearby and hiked over to the waterfall while he explained the dynamics of water and sunlight that caused the brilliant fragmentation of light known as a rainbow.

"Rainbow? What an inadequate word for something so lovely." She said just before they reached the stream of fast flowing water at the base of the waterfall.

Neither said anything for a few moments as they drank in the sight.

'It's really loud!' She shouted into his mind.

He winced and replied in a normal tone, 'want to move downstream some?'

'Nah, the view is worth the noise.' She grinned up at him as she spoke in a much more normal tone in his head.

'Not much sunlight down here.' He noted.

'No, but it's nice and warm.' She wrapped her arms around his neck. 'And secluded.' She kissed his neck. 'And we're all alone…' Her lips moved to his jaw. 'In a tropical paradise.'

He turned his head to welcome her lips with his. 'And overdressed.' He thought, sliding his hands along her sides.

'Very overdressed.' She agreed.

A long time later…

They reached the clearing where they'd left their TIE fighters just as the sun finished setting and twilight began to creep in. After an evening of not coming across anything worrisome the pair were startled to catch their first glimpse of native life.

"Whoa!" Ben breathed, pulling Rey to a halt. "There, by the white tree." He whispered.

Rey looked and didn't notice anything but shrubbery. 'Where? I don't see anything.'

'A creature, about my size, to the right of the white tree.' He flashed her an image.

A moment later the creature moved and Rey nearly jumped out of her skin. It blended well with it's surroundings. As if it knew it had been spotted the creature stepped forward, it's colors shifting with every movement making it seem almost like a ripple in the air.

More ripples started moving toward them from the tree line all around the grassy clearing. Dozens of tall thin beings with skin like thousands of faceted diamonds materialized all around them.

Ben was mildly intrigued beneath his concern, by the beings' apparent ability to trigger an innate type of cloaking. They wore no clothing and appeared to be without gender. Their skin glittered in the fading blue twilight like diamonds. Each was crowned with flowing hair of silvery white that shifted and changed along with the creature's skin.

The tallest one, apparently the leader, waved a white spear with a shiney black point in their direction and spoke in a voice like crackling glass.

'Do you suppose there's a chance they don't want to kill us?' Rey thought nervously.

The being with the white spear repeted itself.

'Doubtful.' Ben said, doing his best to track all of the aliens' movements at once while paying attention to the leader in particular. 'Be ready for anything.'

The being pointed it's spear at the TIEs then to the sky and back to them while speaking to it's companions.

'There are too many of them.' She thought.

'No,' He replied confidently. 'They're primitives, just keep your head, we've got this.'

Several diamond-skinned beings moved toward them brandishing black half crescent blades as long as their arms.

'I hope you're right, because it looks like we're about to find out.' She turned her body away from his to warily eye the beings behind them.

As they cautiously moved nearer their silvery white hair turned into a metallic pale blue color and their skins silvered to look like chrome.

Ben ignited his saber and flourished his blade, crouching, prepared to attack the encroaching aliens.

Rey and Ben slipped fully into each others mind as Rey's staff snapped to full length and the blades ignited. She didn't do anything fancy with her weapon, simply held it at the ready in front of her, horizontal to the ground.

The beings with the black blades stopped and their hair turned black as their skin became an opaque smokey grey.

The leader let out a sound like a scream and pointed to Ben with his spear before shouting something in it's odd crackling language. A ripple passed through the crowd as being after being changed to the smokey grey, black haired look of the ones closest to Ben and Rey.

Rey swept her eyes from side to side as being after being dropped to it's knees and laid it's weapon down. A chorus of melodic crackles went up even as the beings bent forward and touched their faces to the pale green grass.

Ben thought he was ready for anything, but it took him by surprise to watch as even the leader laid it's weapon down and began to worship him and Rey.

'Ok…' Ben admitted. 'I wasn't expecting *that.*'

Rey turned a slow circle, watching the beings as they sat up on their knees, chanted together for a moment, then touched their faces to the ground again. 'What are they doing?' She couldn't quite register the change in their situation.

'Unless I miss my guess,' Ben said ironically. 'They think we're gods.'

'Well, ok…' She gawked. 'I wasn't ready for that either.'


	37. Chapter 37

The lead alien stood up even as the others continued to chant. It's skin changed to a thin emerald and it's hair back to white as it creeped closer, keeping it's eyes carefully averted it spoke softly and held out it's three fingered hand, palm up. In it's hand was a tiny silver dot.

Ben hessitated but the being bounced it's hand a few times in a wordless, universal sign for "take it".

As soon as Ben plucked the tiny dot from the being's icy cold palm the being touched itself behind the surprisingly human-like ear and pointed at Ben's ear then repeted the gesture. Curious, Ben pressed the dot to the spot just behind his earlobe.

"Welcome to Aaronia, sacred ones." The lead alien said, startling Ben and Rey both by speaking in the galactic common tongue.

"You speak common?" Rey gasped.

The being turned shocked eyes toward her, "No, Mother, we speak Aaronian. The device we gave to your mate allows it to hear in the language it is most fluent in." It glanced from Rey to Ben then back to Rey. "How can you hear through this one's ears? Is this something your species does naturally?"

"It is very hard to explain, but as far as I know we're the only ones who can do that." Rey said, extinguishing her staff, which automatically retracted to half it's size.

"How intriguing!" The alien sounded excited. "Please, come," It motioned towards the woods behind their TIEs. "Back to our village, we must speak more. There is much to discuss!"

Ben shook his head and put his weapon away, "We can't. We have to get back to our ship."

"Please, you must." The being begged. "The fate of all Aaronia hangs in the balance."

'The ship can wait.' Rey inserted into his mind. 'This sounds important.'

"Alright," Ben capitulated. "We'll accompany you to your village."

"Our name is Ko'da." The leader introduced itself.

"I'm Rey, this is my husband, Ben." Rey smiled warmly up at Ko'da as the tall, thin alien's skin changed back into a diamond-like clear sparkle.

"Husband? We are not familiar with this term." Ko'da frowned, causing rainbow sparkles to dance across Rey's face.

"Uhm… my mate." She said apologetically.

"Ah, yes. We understand now." Ko'da turned to it's followers, "Rise, mates, the fated ones have agreed to hear our pleas."

'Fated ones?' Ben's mindvoice carried a tone of surprise.

"Fated ones?" Rey asked aloud.

"In truth, little Mother, we were truly only expecting one, but we are delighted to have been sent two." Ko'da answered happily.

The other aliens rose, their skins and hair changing to match Ko'da's.

"You keep calling me 'Mother,' may I ask why?" Rey said politely as she and Ben followed Ko'da through the thick jungle.

"You are gravid, are you not, Mother?" Ko'da smiled, glittering in the gathering darkness.

"Sort of, we call it 'pregnant' though." Rey was so curious she wanted to ask the Aaronian a million questions, but could feel it wasn't quite the right time for that.

"Pregnant," It repeted, obviously curious as well. "Does that mean that your species does not deposit it's eggs in a communal clutch?"

"No, we females carry the eggs inside until they hatch." She rubbed her belly.

"How curious!" Ko'da sounded intrigued. "Your mate is not pregnant, though, is it not also a female?"

Ben snorted.

"No," Rey grinned. "Our species is 'Human' and humans come in two varieties, male and female." She explained. "Ben is a male, I am a female. Only females can produce young."

"That's…" Ko'da seemed a little lost for words. "If only half your species can reproduce, why does the other half exist?"

"Mostly just to cause trouble I think." She winked at Ben. "But aside from that a female needs a male to mate with, we cannot reproduce on our own."

"No?" Ko'da was shocked. "How inconvenient!"

"Your species doesn't require mating for reproduction?" Rey asked even while wondering how the conversation had strayed into such odd territory.

"No. When the time is right we all become gravid for a short time and then deposit our eggs in the sacred temple." It explained. "That is where we are taking you."

Ben decided now was the perfect time to get the conversation back on track. "You called us 'the fated ones' earlier," He asked, "Why?"

"Generations ago there came a visitor from the sky who foretold the fate of all Aaronia." Ko'da said quietly, leading them into the mouth of a cave, it's skin becoming luminescent enough to see by. "One day, the visitor told our ancestors, an evil would come from beyond the stars to destroy all life, everywhere. We would have no way to defend ourselves against it's evil eye, but the gods favor Aaronia, so they would send to us a mighty champion - the one upon whom all fates depend." It stepped closer to the smooth stone wall of the cavernous cave beyond the tunnel and held it's hand out to illuminate an image carved into the black stone. More and more beings crowded closer, their glowing bodies casting enough light to see the image and what appeared to be writing below it.

A large circle, the size of a TIEs cockpit with a smaller circle, like an eye - inlaid in a brilliant green stone, dominated the wall in front of them. Just below the green eye was a figure painted in white.

Inlaid across the figure were shards of jeweltoned stone, laid perpendicular to each other, red pointing upward to above the figure's head, rosey lilac lying horizontal nearly twice as wide as the figure.

"In the days preceeding the glare of destiny's wrath the chosen will appear." Ko'da read running it's glowing fingers over the inscription. "It's fiery blade a light of freedom in the gathering darkness; It's royal staff a glimmer of hope when all seems lost."

"How old is this prophecy?" Ben breathed, running a finger along the red stone that looked remarkabley like his light saber.

"A thousand generations have studied this image and been taught these words." Ko'da answered with reverence in it's crackling voice.

"A thousand generations." He whispered, his eyes fixed on the figure in the image.

"Who was this visitor from the sky?" Rey asked though the question was actually Ben's.

"This way." Ko'da lead them to another section of wall. "It's name was Je'di."

Rey gasped and lurched forward for a better view of the drawing. "I have seen this before!" She reached out and touched the age yellowed paint on the lighter side of the figure.

"You have?" Ben gaped.

Her eyes were huge in the dim light. "It's in the book I'm translating but also… in a mossaic on Luke's island." She flashed the images through his mind. "He was the first." She said confidently. "The first Jedi."

"Prophecies are tricky things." Ben warned. "There was a time when the Jedi Council believed my grandfather to be the subject of a thousands of years old prophecy…"

"What prophecy?" Rey asked almost idly while she studied the painting.

"They thought him to be the one chosen to bring balance to the force."

"Did he?" Ko'da inquired.

"No." Ben answered. "He killed nearly every Jedi in existence, all but two. It left the numbers even but didn't balance anything."

"Perhaps balance isn't about numbers." The alien said sagely. "Come, we must get you back to your ship before moonrise, but first we have gifts to help you in your fight against the great evil."

The alien lead them out of the cave and into the trunk of a massive tree that turned out to be hollow.

"A gift." Ko'da said, proferring a small wooden box.

The interior of the raw red wood box was brimming with tiny translator dots. "And this one," it held out a polished black box. "Will help you in your journies."

"What are these?" Ben asked, peering into the black box at a multitude of tiny golden dots.

"These are for talking." Ko'da said.

"Talking?"

Ko'da touched behind it's ear. "For hunting." It explained. "Can hear a whisper from far away."

"How far?" Ben was surprised at the level of technology the Aaronians possessed.

"Much farther than your ships are from here." It waved a hand dismissively.

The ships were a few kilometers away. "Not bad... with tech capabilities like this, how is it that your people have never developed space travel technologies?"

"The great evil comes from beyond the stars." Ko'da answered. "We have no wish to go there."

"Do you have ways to translate written text?" Rey asked, thinking of the Jedi Manuscripts.

"Written text… we have scholars for that, but attempts to develop technology have proven inadequate for the vaguarities of written words."

"May we return soon and bring something for your scholars to look at?" Rey asked politely.

"Of course." Ko'da answered. "But for now, you really must go. It is unsafe in the jungle once the moon has risen and the farkillers have awakened."


	38. Chapter 38

Two weeks later…

"You're all aware that in the past week three Federation Worlds have been destroyed by this so called Soul Reaper." Poe said to hologram images of the other 9 council members that made up the temporary leadership of the fledgling Federation. "We have solid intel pointing us to an imminent attack on a planet just outside of charted space. We're in need of every ship you can send."

"With the size and strength of the First Order fleet at your disposal, what need could you possibly have for our planetary defense forces?" Asked a Mon Calamari counselman named Pischa. "You're asking us to leave our worlds defenseless, and you don't even know when this attack will occur."

Poe explained, "We know that the planet Aaronia will be targeted by Soul Reaper. In order to prevent that planet from being destroyed we need a massive number of ships. Far more than we currently have. If we get the ships we need we will destroy Soul Reaper." He promised confidently.

A Devronian female councilor nodded and said, "That's all well and good, but we need to stop the slaughter now. Three planets and billions of citizens are already gone, how many more will be destroyed before Soul Reaper stumbles into your trap?"

"That's true, three planets are gone, billions of sentient beings and uncountable lesser lifeforms all dead. Soul Reaper may indeed destroy more planets before it comes for Aaronia. We don't know what planets it will target next, or when… but we do know that Aaronia is on it's list." Ben intoned. "Which is why we require the ships from the planetary defense forces of every member system in the Federation. We have one chance to stop it here. If we fail here we may never get another tip on it's impending movements and as you know, we can not track it." His voice went deadly serious. "The plan we've come up with is our only chance, this is the only time we'll ever be able to lay a trap for it."

"And if your plan fails?" Asked the Devronian. "You'll have handed us all over to Soul Reaper with no chance to defend ourselves."

"Planetary defense forces didn't prevent the destruction of our member planets any more than they will prevent the destruction of your worlds." Poe insisted. "The only way they can possibly be of use against Soul Reaper is if they join with our main fleet and help us destroy that beast in the skies over Aaronia."

Pischa argued. "You're asking us to support your call to drain the entire galaxy of fighting ships. You want us to endanger every living thing in known space on a gamble that is based on what? An anonymous tip?"

"The tip is solid. Soul Reaper will attack Aaronia." Ben injected. "Soul Reaper has turned it's sights from ships and convoys to planets now, how long until it leaves this area and makes it's way to your homeworlds?"

Poe spoke up, "All of the attacks have been in an area known as the Spice Lanes. Aaronia is in uncharted space adjacent to the Spice Lanes. We think Soul Reaper's base must be near there somewhere. We have thousands of small ships from dozens of factions scouring that whole quadrant, but if we can't find it before it hits Aaronia, we have no choice but to assume that will be our battlefield, and that battlefield requires far more ships than we have." He warned the council. "We are running out of time! We need your support to order the planetary defense forces from all Federation planets to get to Aaronia as soon as possible! Soul Reaper could show up at any moment, if we don't have those ships, none of us, none of you, no one will be able to stop it!"

The holoconference ended shortly thereafter and Rey turned to Ben, "Will they send us the ships we need?"

"They'd better." He said grimly. "Or all of this will amount to nothing."

Over the past two weeks most of the fleet had gathered around Aaronia. Without the regular patrols chaos had crept into even the core systems. It was no wonder that planetary defense forces were so in demand, but without the hundreds of thousands of ships they represented, Soul Reaper would surely prove it's indestructability.

"I suppose." She rubbed her belly absently as they walked along the corridor then her attention and eyes focused sharply, "The time is growing short, I can feel it."

"Yeah, me too." He said grimly. "I would feel better about this if we knew the guy's name."

Despite having hundreds of people attempting to find specifically that information, nobody had been able to figure out who was in command of Soul Reaper. "His name isn't important." Rey said vehemently. "We're going to bring him and his reign of terror to an end."

"*We're* going to." He eyed her warily. "I don't want you in the thick of it." He would have been able to feel her irritation even if he weren't force sensitive. "Please, Rey, I wont be worth a damn if I don't know you're safe."

"I understand," She said. "I feel the same way about your safety."

He smiled tightly. "Why doesn't that feel like a promise to stay out of this?"

"Because it isn't," She stated matter-of-factly. "I'm not going to run off and hide just because there is danger around."

"That's not what I'm asking." The only reason he wasn't asking that was because he knew she'd never agree to such a thing.

"Good." She smiled then changed the subject. "Do you remember those fritter things we had with lunch the other day? I want more of those so much I can taste them… do you know what they were called?"

A month later…

"Six months ago, none of us knew each other, none of us liked each other, Half of us didn't know or didn't want to know the other half existed." Ben glanced around the holoaudience chamber. Instead of a slowly revolving galaxy he was surrounded by thousands of hologram beings from every corner of that galaxy. He held his arms elegantly askew. "We'll soon be engaging a foe the likes of which the galaxy never needs to see again. His name is not important, his quest is to kill each and everyone of us. That's not a ship he's flying around in, it's a threat. A threat to all of us. A threat to our families, our friends, our societies, even our existence."

He paused. "I used to be that guy and I can tell you, right now, that guy is the loneliest guy in the galaxy. No matter how much fire power he's commanding, he's standing alone."

He looked around at the newest crop of captains to join the fleet, "We have Emperial Remnants, First Order Converts, Republic Rebels, Resistance Fighters, Pirates, Spice Runners, Smugglers, Spacers, Mercs and Planetary Defense Forces from a thousand systems. We've got Hutts, Wookiees, Bothans, Biths, Twi'leks, Devronians, Gherkens, Mon Cal, Quorins, Sulistians, Humans and hundreds of other species. He has a big ship, lots of guns… and only himself to rely on."

These peptalks weren't his forte but he'd given enough of them lately to make them easier. "Only one side can win. Do your parts, stay vigillant, execute your orders as if the galaxy depends on it, and I guarantee you, that at the end of the day, that will be our side. One man alone doesn't stand a chance against the combined forces of the known galaxy and we're going to show him that."

He paused to look around the audience chamber projecting as much gravity into his tone as possible, "We don't know exactly when he'll show up but we do know where, subbed into this transmission are your individual patrol coordinates. Keep your eyes open and stay alert, when he drops out of hyperspace we've got less than ninety seconds to spring the trap. If he gets away, we lose, so call him out as soon as you see him. Our fighter squadrons will take out as many of the turrets as possible so the bigger ships can move in close, don't delay! The closer you are the harder you are to target without shifting the whole ship, the more he moves the more he misses, so get in close!"

'May the Force be with us.' Rey prompted as she always did when he finished speaking to a group of newly arrived Federation pilots and personnel. This had to be at least the fiftieth group to arrive in the past month since the council had finally agreed to draft the planetary defense forces of nearly every planet in the burgeoning Federation of Worlds.

'I'm not saying that.' He disagreed, as always.

"Good luck." He said aloud.

'May the Force be with us!' She demanded.

'No.' He refused.

An evil idea occured to her. 'I'll name this baby Han Lukas Chewbacca Solo!' She threatened.

'I thought it was a girl?' He countered haughtily.

'Then she's really going to hate you for that!' She shot back.

"May the Force be with us." He said awkwardly and ended the holo projector's call connection.

'That was a dirty trick!' He complained.

'There are no dirty tricks, remember?' She grinned and kissed him on the chin.

"Now, whatever shall we do with the rest of our evening?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his neck and staring hungrily into his eyes.

Turning his head slightly, to avoid shouting in her face, he called loudly, "Activate." Everything went dark for a beat then the galaxy burst to life around them. "I had a few ideas." He said. "But I like yours better."


	39. Chapter 39

"Target has just dropped out of hyperspace, General." Perez cried into the nervous tension that permeated the bridge of the Redemption so thickly it was almost tangible.

"Execute order One." Ben ordered, jumping to his feet and approaching the view screen. From this distance it just looked like a TIE right outside of the window.

As he watched, more than eighty thousand federation planetary defense ships started moving in near synchronus harmony to completely cut off all vectors Soul Reaper could use to beat a hasty retreat. The trap he'd planned sprung without a hitch, Soul Reaper was trapped between Aaronia and a fleet of over one hundred thousand ships, mostly planetary defense ships that would hopefully prove too small for the fleet killer weapon to be effective against. "Execute order Two." He ordered then walked over to where Rey stood, looking deathly terrified. He leaned down and kissed her on the brow. "Stay here, I'll be right back." He said gently then kissed her goodbye.

He rushed to his quarters, stepped into his waiting flight suit, Force pulled his light saber and data pad into his hand and dashed to the elevator outside of the bridge that would take him directly to the forward fighter bay and his TIE Silencer.

He was just starting to climb the ladder into his cockpit when the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He took a glance around and his heart skipped a beat.

"No." Ben shouted. "Absolutely not!" He rushed towards her across tarmac. The trap was sprung and he didn't have time for this right now. "Get out of that flight suit and back on the bridge!"

"Not happening." Rey didn't slow down as she stomped past him with only a brief glance his way while she'd spoken. She'd really hoped he would have already taken off by the time she got here, but apparently she'd been a little too quick to follow him. When the Soul Reaper had dropped out of hyperspace and started firing it's secondary weapon, colloquially known as 'Fleet Killer,' and he'd rushed off to join the fray she'd given him a ninety second head start just to try to avoid this. She could've kicked herself for not waiting thirty more seconds.

"Get down from there!" He jerked her off the second rung of the ladder leading to the cockpit of her shiney new TIE Silencer and bodily placed her back on the tarmac. "You have to stay here!"

"If you go, I go." She insisted, trying to step around him.

He grabbed the chest of her flight suit in a tight fist and snarled into her face, "You're six months pregnant!"

Rey dug her fingertips into his wrist as hard as she could and snarled back, "And you're three months away from becoming a father! What does that matter if you're dead?" Then snapped, "Let go of me!"

He let go with a frustrated growl and shook the blood back into his hand. "You're safer here where there are thousands of ships between you and that thing." He argued.

"What happens if that thing does manage to hit the Redemption? What do you think that's going to do to you in the middle of a dogfight? Huh?" She demanded, poking her finger into his chest. "What do think it's going to do to me if you get killed out there?"

"You'll still have the baby." He said as if that settled the issue.

"I wont survive long enough for that." The gravity in her voice let him know that was a promise. "Even if this ship does."

"Please don't do this." He tried begging. "I need to know you're safe."

"We're safer together." She argued. "Our fighters are too small for the bigger weapons to target." Her tone gentled, "All we have to worry about out there is keeping each other alive." Her eyes softened. "We've been pretty good at that so far. Besides, I'm as much a part of that prophecy as you are. My staff will be the glimmer of hope, remember?" She grabbed the front of his flight suit, leaned up on tip toe, getting as in-his-face as she could manage, and said in a persuasively gritty tone, "I'm coming with you."

He let out a defeated puff of air then grabbed her and kissed her with everything he had. "Stay on my wing." He murmured taking a mental photograph of her glowing face.

"I'll be right beside you the whole time." She promised and they hugged briefly before splitting apart to climb into their respective cockpits.

Three minutes later, as they cleared the front of the battlegroup, his voice sounded in her head, 'Remember, the main objective is staying alive, the power generator is secondary.'

'You remember that, too.' She thought back to him as 500km ahead the front sections of both sublight engine compartments began to boil with activity and thousands of light fighters exited from hangar bays that nobody had even known existed. From this distance they looked like a swarm of tiny insects buzzing around the big square solar arrays of a TIE fighter.

The distance between the Federation Fleet fighters and Soul Reaper fighters closed quickly as Rey and Ben wound their way to the front of the swarm of roughly three hundred thousand Federation light fighters.

'You can do this.' His voice startled her out of her near catatonic state of fear. 'Just breathe, pretend like it's a sim... Have fun with it.'

'Fun?' Her voice echoed back sharply, distracted from her fear by annoyance. 'Have you gone mad?'

'If they don't kill us young…' He reminded her.

She looked at the swarm of well over half a million rapidly advancing enemy fighters and finished it, 'We'll live forever.' A whole new meaning of the quote sprang to life inside her mind. 'Drop in behind me, let's see if we make them more afraid of us than we are of them.'

'Why don't you drop in behind me?' He suggested, liking the idea of putting himself between her and the enemy far more than her alternative.

'Because you're better from behind.' She sent him an image that had nothing to do with flying.

'Did you just…?' His shock sent the last of her nervousness skittering away on a giggle. She sent him the memory of the manuever he had taught her their first time in the simcaps together and said saucily, 'Have fun with it.'

Ben slipped in behind Rey just as she sent her fighter into a tight spin, firing as fast as her guns would let her, he immediately did the same in the opposite direction.

Enemy TIEs, with their bright red cockpits and trim, started blowing up in a direct line in front of them as they plowed a path through the swarm.

'That was easier than I'd expected.' Rey thought triumphantly as they broke through the enemy line like a giant blaster bolt.

'Don't get cocky.' He admonished, pulling up beside her on the right. 'Now we have close to half a million enemies at our backs.'

'We only have to worry about the one in front of us for now.' She said, 'the ones behind us can't keep up.'

'No, but they'll catch up.' He replied.

'Then we better come up with something pretty quick.' She said, sticking to his side as the giant ball completely filled her view and he went into an inverted dive.

'Just follow my lead.' He said, swooping down through a hail of bright red turbolazer blasts to skim Soul Reaper's surface.

'Always.' She said, dodging a red bolt and returning fire with her own green one which blew up the turbolazer turret that had fired at her.

The Soul Reaper's automated guns were no match for a pair of Jedi in advanced fighters, but they could easily prove disasterous for anyone less qualified.

The pair skimmed side to side, knocking out lazer turrets as they spotted them.

Ben tapped his coms button to open the fleet wide channel. "Execute order Three." He said with authority. "Authorization: CB-AA23."

A bright red flash to her left and the galaxy began to spin dizzily. "I'm hit!" She yelped as her Silencer spun out of control.

"Rey!" Ben's shout boomed through her cockpit sound system.


	40. Chapter 40

"I see you!" He gasped into his mic. "You're drifting away from the target."

"How bad is it?" She asked, her eyes shut tightly to block out the drunken spin of ships and stars making her sick through her cockpit view panel.

"Not good, your left array is gone." He blew up an enemy TIE as it swooped in towards her wildly spinning fighter. "You're spinning too fast for my tow cable to do anything but kill us both."

"Ok, that's bad." She said, desperately trying to maintain her composure in the open channel.

"And you're heading toward the swarm." He sounded a lot calmer than he felt, and his voice was on the edge of panic.

"And I'm spinning too fast and too unsteadily to eject or hope to be able to defend myself." She stated the obvious.

"Yeah." His raw voice cracked with emotion.

"Alright, then." She said as bravely as she could manage. "Go kill that thing so you can figure out a way to rescue me."

"Not gonna happen." He said, reigning in his emotions. "I'm not leaving you."

"I'm not going to be safe until that thing is dead." She argued.

"We have a million people working on killing that thing. I'm staying with you." He blew up two more red TIEs in rapid succession.

"You're the only one with a ship small and nimble enough to get inside that thing, and you know it." She argued, then ordered in a tight voice, "Go take out that power core."

"No way." He shot back. "I'm not leaving my wife and child drifting off into space. If you go, I go. Remember?"

"They can't do this without one of us getting inside of that thing, and my ship is busted. That leaves it all on you, Ben Solo." She said, "Go, give the galaxy someone else from your family to talk about."

"They're just going to have to figure out a way to do this without either one of us, because the only things in this galaxy that matter to me are you and that baby and I'm not leaving the both of you out here to die." He blew up four more enemies during that brief exchange.

Her voice was struggling to get past the bile in her throat. "You're going to have to leave us and complete this mission if you ever want a chance to meet your little girls."

"Girls? Plural?"

"Girls, plural. As in two."

"Twins? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He shot down another red TIE.

"I was waiting to surprize you." She joked then added in a forced singsong voice. "Surprize!"

"Rey, If we both survive this…" He warned. "I just might strangle you for not telling me before I let you talk me into letting you come out here."

"Hang tight guys, I'm gonna try something here." a third voice crackled over the otherwise silent channel.

"Poe!" Ben had never been so happy to hear from the man.

The Falcon streaked past. "Fire your breakaway on my mark." Poe ordered. "Lets see if we can slow her down at least."

"What are doing in that old hunk of junk?" Ben asked, surprised to see the fifty year old cargo ship on the battlefield.

"Lost my X-wing." Poe said shortly. "Chewie just happened to be flying by on his way out here. Get ready."

Ben pressed a few buttons, "Ready."

"Fire!" Poe barked and fired the Falcon's tow line, catching the undamaged solar array just off of center.

Ben fired his cable and caught her cockpit canopy on the damaged side as the Falcon streaked by.

Rey's Silencer jerked both cables loose but leveled off into a dramatically slower and more stable spin. It wasn't quite enough to allow her to eject, but it was enough to nearly arrest her forward momentum and allow her use the undamaged guns on her right solar array to blow up an enemy fighter streaking up behind Ben's Silencer.

"That's the best we can do right now." Poe said then whooped as one sublight engine began to drift away from Soul Reaper. "Your door just opened, buddy."

"You go, I'm not leaving her." Ben insisted.

"This crate wont fit. It's gotta be you, that corridor wont allow for anything bigger. We'll watch over her." Poe assured him as a streak of blaster fire from the Falcon's belly turret hit an oncoming red TIE.

Chewbacca's rolling purr filled the airwaves.

"Go, Ben." Rey intoned. "Go kill this thing then come back to me."

"We'll help guard her, too." A woman's voice crackled through the line and half a dozen mutt fighters streaked by then broke into an acrobatic display of backwards loops. "Barne's Bulldogs, reporting for guard duty, General Solo. Half a dozen of my best dogs, anyway." The lady Pirate waggled the wings on her modified Star Jumper Class IV light fighter.

A dozen First order TIEs appeared out of nowhere. "TIE squadron 4-2-1 FX 3-5, also reporting for guard duty, General." A man's voice called over the air. "No one will touch our Supreme Leader, Sir." He said gravely.

A group of ten X-wings joined in.

"Where are all of these ships coming from?" Poe asked excitedly.

"Rogue Squadron checking in." Came a nasally distorted voice. "Begging your pardon General but you've been broadcasting on fleet this whole time. I suspect we're only the first of many volunteers heading out this way to watch over your family, Sir."

Ben was taken aback and humbled at the same time.

"Delta Squadron inbound." Came a heavily accented voice.

"TIE Squadron 2-2-5-7 XE 5-4 inbound as well, General." Said another voice.

"What's a bit o'fun without a Tyberian death squad at your back?" Asked another, cockier voice.

"I make that about a hundred men stepping up to guard your family, Ben." Poe said triumphantly. "Now, would you please fly that sexy little plane of yours through that tiny hole in the side of that collosal piece of floating trash and blow it back to whatever nightmare it drifted out of?"

Ben looked around in amazement. Rey's TIE was spinning in a wobbling circle surrounded by dozens of darting fighters, all of them friendly.

"I'll be fine." Rey said reassuringly. "Go, save the galaxy. I'll wait here."

"I'll be right back." He promised and sent his TIE hurtling toward Soul Reaper as fast as it would go.

She couldn't help but smile at his temerity despite an almost overwhelming urge to vomit.


	41. Chapter 41

Ben's TIE Silencer sliced through the distance between where he'd left his pregnant wife and unborn twins and the badly damaged super weapon -Soul Reaper- in moments but he was forced to slow down as he approached his target.

After five months of studying every scrap of intel that anyone anywhere could buy, barter or steal about the massive space station/battleship the only weakness that could be found in it's entire design had been it's corridors. They were oversized, like everything else on the floating monstrousity, measuring six meters wide by four meters tall.

A TIE Fighter would scrape paint on all sides at all times, an X-wing would have to lose the tips of it's S-Foils to fit… but the sleek Silencer could fit with half a meter to spare all around. All he had to do was blast his way through the airlocks in a straight line from the sheered pylon coupling to the huge center engineering bay through two hundred kilometers of half meter clearance hallway, with an airlock doorway every ten kilometers, without scraping his own solar arrays off on a jagged bit of wall from a not so perfect hit.

He really wished his wife was here with him.

'I'm here, you're not alone.' Her voice echoed through his mind from far off.

'Neither are you.' He thought back to her then shot straight into the main crossway, the only corridor in the entire ship, that lead from one pylon to the other through the central core where the power generator for the entire ship was located.

"Activate Order Four." He spoke into fleet as he blew through the fifth doorway in a little under a minute. "Authorization Sequence: Alpha 1-T-1-H-3-X-8 Omega."

He switched his coms channel to ship to ship. "What's it looking like out there, sweetheart?" He asked more because he just wanted to hear her voice than out of any sense that much had changed since he'd left her side less than three minutes before.

"About the same." She responded, growing dizzy from trying to look.

"That bad? Huh." He said ironically.

"Well, if they don't kill us young." She said, trying very hard not to hurl.

"Oh, we're gonna to live forever." He stressed vehemently, blowing through his sixth doorway. "I promise you that."

"I'll be happy with living to see our kids grow up." She said, rubbing her belly soothingly.

"That's included in forever." He blew through his seventh door and his Silencer shuddered into full system failure, careening through the next door hard enough to demolish it's frontal array portions.

Stunned he watched as dancing blue electric tendrils crackled across his instrument panel.

He'd flown into a trap!

"Not good." He spoke into his coms equipment but received no answer. "Rey?" Nothing. "Gaah!" He reached out for her mind, 'Rey?'

'Yeah?' She thought back to him.

'My TIE is dead. I'm still twenty clicks from the core.' He sounded so defeated, even to himself.

'What happened?' She asked, her mind voice carrying a wealth of horror.

'Ion net.' He groaned. 'Just past the seventh doorway.'

'That wasn't in any of the intel!' She protested.

'No, but… oh, no!' Men with blasters began to pour towards him from the front.

'What? Join with me!' She cried.

'I'm about to be taken prisoner or killed.' He said matter-of-factly. 'I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I didn't see this coming.'

'If they want to capture you, let them. I'm on my way!' She promised.

'No! Stay put!' He ordered. 'It's too dangerous!'

'We're safer together.' She reasoned. 'And there is no possible way I'm leaving you there to die alone.'

'How do you expect to help me if you can't even get out of your fighter?' He argued.

'Oh, I'm getting out.' She swore.

She didn't know how quite yet but she was certain that she was getting out of this ship if she hand to tear it apart with her bare hands. An idea occured to her. She didn't have to tear it apart with her bare hands, she had her staff!

She reached into the nook next to her seat that he had so thoughtfully included in the modifications to her TIE just for her weapon.

"Alright Chewie, I have a plan, you just be ready to scoop me up!" She spoke into her cockpit coms equipment, which she much prefered to the headgear from the simcaps aboard the Redemption. Setting the staff across her legs she fastened on an evac helmet but left her hands bare - she'd need every bit of her grip for this, unfastened her safety harness, took a deep breath and ignited her blades. She took a moment to center herself, ignoring Ben's panicking voice in her head begging her not to do anything stupid, she hit the eject lever with the force and despite the bulge of her stomach, the crazy spin of her disabled fighter, and the sudden acceleration of her seat shoving her through the ejection hatch, she curled herself into a spiralling ball of spinning lavender blades. Several chunks of array hit her but since they had already been disconnected from the main machine by her blades they did no harm. In a blink she was free of the danger of being hit by the TIE.

'I'm free!' She cried triumphantly.

'Damn it, Rey! Don't you dare come in here!' He shouted into her mind as a man in olive green clamped a set of binders around his wrists. 'I'll get myself out of this!' He promised.

She ignored him and extinguished her blades, holding the staff tightly in her rapidly cooling hands. Part one of her plan was complete, now all she had to do was wait for Chewie to manuever the Falcon into position to catch her.

No sooner had that thought crossed her mind than the Falcon appeared ahead of her, slowed down to barely slower than her and opened it's trash hatch. The rest was entirely up to her.

She twisted around, nudged herself into perfect alignment with the hatch and pulled herself toward the freighter with a gentle tug on the hull.

Despite her protective suit she began to shiver as her hands went numb and a thin layer of frost formed on them. 'Just stay alive, I'm on my way.' She thought towards her husband.

'I can get out of this on my own.' He insisted stubbornly. 'Go back to the Redemption.'

'Get it through your thick skull, dearest… I'm not leaving you in danger.' She thought in a tone dripping with finality.


	42. Chapter 42

Ben was shoved roughly into a small, featureless black cell. The door hissed shut behind him before he could even turn around. Ben shrugged out of the binders and them drop to the floor. 'Are you ok?' He thought towards his wife but received no answer. 'Rey?' Dread began to claw at his guts. 'Rey!' He bellowed to no avail.

He pulled his light saber off his belt, igniting it as he raised it and attacked the black door with all of his panicked concern. Blow after blow sent a shower of sparks raining over him but that was all they did. The door remained pristine. Frustrated, he attacked the rest of the cell with even more fervor and reaped the same result.

"Now, now." Came a smug voice from behind him once he'd exhausted all hope for a quick escape. He whipped around, "Did you really think I'd allow you to keep your weapon if it wasn't completely useless?" Asked the hologram being dressed entirely in white. It was a fully matured male humanoid with snowy white hair, bright violet eyes and even brighter blue skin of prime age.

"What is this?" Ben demanded hotly.

"What this is, dear boy, is a cage built just for you." The being said in it's low, silky voice.

"If you built this cage for me then you must know who I am." Ben eyed the blue man dangerously. "If you know who I am, then you must know that no cage is going to hold me for long."

The being laughed. "Oh, I know who you are, Kylo Ren, even in the uncharted territories we've heard of you. It's a strange thing, space... Amazing in it's ability to allow all manner of things to just keep going and going until something, or someone gets in their way." It said smugly. "Communicatoon transmissions for example... I wonder, are your people even aware that everything you broadcast just keeps going and going long after it's been received by it's intended recipient?"

Ben scowled.

"No? I thought not."

Ben wanted so badly to rip his captor apart piece by piece if for no other reason than to divest the man of his smugness.

Ben deadpanned as his eyes scanned the being. "You seem to be working with very old intel if you thought this technological terror of yours had any chance of success." He smiled tightly. "Hasn't word reached you yet about what happens when madmen attack the people we care about?"

"'We,' is it? Are you referring to your beloved First Order?" The being frowned thoughtfully. "You are the madmen who attack indescriminantly."

"No," Ben said mildly. "Not the First Order." He stepped threateningly toward the holograph. "We Skywalkers."

The being laughed. "You're no Skywalker, boy. That line ended more than a decade ago with the disappearance of Luke Skywalker." It scoffed. "And he had no children."

"He had a sister." Ben said and felt his own smugness creep in when the blue alien looked startled. "A twin sister… you may have heard of her." He grinned wolfishly as the startled look turned to one of fear. "Princess Leia Organa of Aldaraan, heroine of the rebellion against the Empire, daughter of Anakin Skywalker, twin sister of Luke Skywalker, wife of Han Solo and my mother!" He finished triumphantly, feel even more so because the blue alien looked absolutely terrified now.

"Impossible!" The frightened man in white cried. "If General Organa was your mother or a Skywalker I would know about it."

"Would you?" Ben said ominously. "Would you really know a secret that big? One that's never been revealed to the public?"

The holograph disappeared in a blink.

Ben's satisfaction at having rattled his host didn't last long, his mind bounced back to Rey in an instant. 'Rey!' He shouted in his mind. She didn't answer.

'I would know if she died,' he told himself soothingly, 'she must be alive.' He eyed the black cell. 'A cage built for me, indeed,' He thought, 'complete with Force dampening walls, floor and ceiling.'

"I can't feel him!" Rey panicked.

'Ben!' She screamed into her mind for at least the dozenth time. "He disappeared! Just gone!"

Chewie purred back a short burst of words.

"No, he can't be dead, I'd know if he was!" Rey said despite the choking fear she was feeling for him. "He's just gone!"

"Rey!" Poe yelled down from the crowsnest gun turret. "Come up here!"

Rey unstrapped ftom the co-pilots seat and went to see Poe. "What is it?" She asked ftom the ladder well.

"Take over, I need to talk to Chewbacca." He unfastened his safety belt. "I have an idea." He said, climbing down the rungs in a hurry and brushing past her.

"Don't worry, Rey!" Finn called out from the belly gunwell. "We'll get him back!" Over the past five months Finn had come to accept Ben as a member of the team, Rey's husband and a friend. It hadn't been easy at first, especially in reguards to Rey. Rey was the first real friend he'd ever had, his first female acquaintence, his first crush, she meant a lot to him in so many ways and it had been months before he could find it in himself to warm up to the man she had chosen over him. Once he had though, he came to realize that while Ben Solo still had a few issues to work on - especially with his temper, he was actually a rather decent individual.

She plopped down in the gunner's seat and strapped in. "You can bet on it!" She called back.

"There are no indications that what you say is true, boy." The blue alien said haughtily when it's holoimage returned a moment later. "It's odd though, a Jedi who lies so well."

"Believe what you want." Ben scoffed. "It makes no difference to me... or to what I'm going to do to you."

"What you're going to do to me?" The being laughed. "Fool, you can't touch me. Your Jedi powers are useless inside that cell and you're never getting out of there alive."

"I'll be out of here within the hour." Ben said confidently. "But never worry, I'm not leaving this ship until I kill you."

"I do admire your confidence, young one, but I'm afraid you're quite mistaken if you think that paltry rescue party has any chance of success." The blue man made a tsk tsk sound. "Even now my men have them cornered miles from where you are."

Ben was too startled to hide his surprise. 'Damn it, Rey!' He thought trying to reach beyond the walls of his cell.

"Don't tell me you didn't know your silly little wife and her rebel friends had arrived." The man in the pristine white uniform said lightly. "I'm guessing that you're not even going to know when I kill her."

"If you harm so much as a hair on her head, I promise you…" Ben's voice and visage carried enough threat to cause a flicker of fear to cross the blue man's face. "You will beg for death for a very very long time before I allow you to die… screaming."

"What's that?" The alien looked away, his face lit up and he looked back at Ben. "Well, now that does change things! It seems we've captured your very pregnant wife! A jedi baby of my very own! How delightful!" It laughed maniacly.

The echoing laughter cut off as soon as the holoimage disappeared but was instantly replaced by Ben's anguished roar.


	43. Chapter 43

"This is her weapon, Admiral." The black armored quasi-stormtrooper announced, handing Rey's staff to the obviously excited nearly human looking alien dressed in all white.

"Oh, ho ho!" The Admiral sounded downright giddy when he ignited the lilac blades. "How did I ever get so lucky?" He eyed her covetously. "A child with two Jedi parents!"

"You'll not touch my baby." Rey growled almost ferally.

"Never fear, I wouldn't dream of harming such a beautiful creature!" His eyes gleamed with greed. "Not when I have such wonderful ideas for how to use it!"

Rey reached out with the Force and grabbed the blue alien by the throat.

"Stun her!" It gagged, it's face taking on an ugly purple hue.

The world went black around Rey.

When she came to she was being dragged between two black armored troopers toward a black square in the middle of a huge throneroom. The black stone gleamed like a polished diamond but it appeared as a hole in her Force perception. She could feel everything else on the ship, Chewie, -as yet undiscovered- still working industriously on the Falcon, Poe three clicks below her, in a detention cell, Finn in the cell next to him…but she could not feel anything from that small black square. It frightened her.

"Get ready." One trooper said and all of them pointed their blasters at her. The trooper counted down from three then the door hissed open and the troopers holding her threw her inside and the door hissed shut just as her fall was arrested inches from the gleaming black floor.

"Rey!" Ben's voice was raw and ragged as he dropped to his knees and gathered her into his arms. "What were you thinking?" He scolded even as he peppered her face with kisses. He stopped kissing her face and hugged her tightly to him. "You crazy, reckless, stubborn woman."

"I can't breathe!" She wheezed. He loosened his hold a little and she took in a gulp of air. "Don't worry." She kissed him. "We'll be out of here in no time."

"Oh, will you?" The alien Admiral's smug image appeared in the center of the room. "I'd like to see that."

"Then stick around, Admiral." Rey taunted. "Your little Jedi cage isn't as tough as you may have believed."

'The walls are thin, no more than ten centimeters.' Rey thought into Ben's mind.

'Ten may as well be a hundred, our weapons are useless here.' Ben warned.

'No they're not.' She countered. 'We just need to bide our time until Chewie can get the Falcon's hull patched up.'

Ben was startled. 'What happened to the Falcon's hull?'

'We kind of ripped the landing gear off when we came in too hot.' She thought with an abashed look on her face. 'Scraped the belly up good.'

'You're sure Chewie isn't captured by now?' He raised his brows.

"Are you two actually communicating without speaking? Fascinating!" The blue Admiral observed.

"Admiral…uh…hmm." Rey glared at the intrusive holo. "Would you care to give me your name or should I just keep thinking of you as Admiral Dead-man?"

"I love that confidence!" The Admiral grinned. "You may call me Admiral Ga'len Flamedancer." He introduced himself with a jaunty bow.

"Admiral Flamer, you have no idea what we are capable of." Rey warned. "But you'll find out soon enough."

Ga'len glared at her. "Flamedancer." He said haughtily. "And I think not... Do you see that lovely black cage all around you? It was built specifically to house a Jedi, my dear." His smile did not reach his eyes. "I must admit, I had only intended for it to house one for however long it takes for your kind to die of thirst, but never fear I'll figure out a way to keep you and your children alive long enough for me to pick one." Seeing the shock register on her face he taunted. "I took the liberty of having a full medscan performed on you while you were unconcious... Twins! How impressive! Such a shame I only need one." He laughed and disappeared.

'When we get to him…' Rey thought angrily. 'He's mine.'

'Only if you're quicker than me.' Ben countered, seething.

'Here, take this, we'll need to keep up to date with the others.' She discretely offered him a tiny gold dot on the tip of her finger. 'When the Falcon is ready, we're busting out of here.'

Ben took the dot and placed it behind his ear.

"I've almost got the landing gear holes patched," came a voice Ben didn't immediately recognize. 'Who?'

'Chewie. Apparently the gold dots translate, too.' Rey shrugged. 'You get used to it.'

Ben was pretty sure that was never going to happen.

"How long?" She breathed.

"Uh, give me twenty…err… thirty minutes." Chewie answered as the sound of a blow torch filled their heads. "Better make it an hour." He said on second thought.

"That's creepy." Ben whispered. "In common - you talk like my father, Chewie."

"What do you expect? We were together for more than fourty-five years… but if you want to talk creepy, kid, you sound like a female in Wookiee." Chewie shot back. "I thought it was Rey talking until you mentioned Han."

'Hmm, we need to keep Flamer focused on us so he doesn't think to have the Falcon searched.' Rey thought. 'Any ideas?'

He sent her an image.

'We're *not* doing that for his amusement.' She glared at him.

'Can't blame a guy for trying.' He winked. 'Hmm, we could put on a little show… maybe if he thinks we're going to kill each other he'll try to seperate us…' He sent her and image from their sparring match.

'No, my plan requires us to be together.' She thought back.

'What do you have in mind?' He squinted at her.

She showed him.

'No!' He yelped. 'It's too risky!'

'A light of freedom, remember?' She reasoned. 'What else could it mean at this point? We need our freedom, and I can think of only one way to break these walls.'

'What if the impact squishes us? The throne room was a hundred times this size and the concussion knocked me out.' He argued. 'What good is breaking out of here if we're both dead?'

'You hit your head when you fell, the explosion didn't do it.' She thought and showed him the image. 'We'll be fine, the stone should fly outward with enough velocity to prevent us from being crushed.'

He looked down at his light saber. 'I love my light saber.' He pouted. 'You have no idea how hard it was to get the crossguard blades just right.'

'We'll put it next to mine in a place of honor in our home.' She promised. 'And someday we'll tell the twins all about how daddy's light saber saved us all from an inescapable cell onboard an unkillable ship being captained by an evil alien bent on the destruction of the whole galaxy.'

'Yeah but…' He clasped the handle to his chest. 'I need my light saber...'

'We'll build you a new one.' She promised. 'It's time to let go of that piece of the past, love.'

"Guys?" Poe's voice sounded in their heads. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes." Rey whispered.

"I almost forgot about this thing… do we have an escape plan?" He asked.

"Yeah." Ben sighed. "Sit tight. It'll be a little while."

He ignited his blade and stared at it. 'I miss it already.' He flourished the blade.

"Uh oh." Chewie's weird human voice sounded on the line. "Bad news, guys... We just made the jump to lightspeed."


	44. Chapter 44

Earlier….

Captain Glissando considered himself pretty lucky to have been promoted to day shift by his young leaders. Over the course of the past six months he'd become mighty fond of the Jedi so he was very concerned to see both TIE Silencers streak away from the Redemption toward what would surely prove to be the biggest and bloodiest battle in the history of the galaxy.

His fear for the pair turned to despair fifteen minutes later when he heard Ben Solo's voice bellow Rey's name through the bridge's intercom which was set to monitor fleet-wide communications. The entire bridge crew came to a halt, faces registering shock and grief at the sound of that anguished cry. The relief was palpable as they heard Ben's voice vanquish their greatest fear. She was still alive... Drifting toward the hot zone and spinning out of control, but still alive.

Tears soaked every face in the room as they listened to Ben's side of the conversation and many hearts broke as they heard him react to the shocking news of his unborn twins.

"Gentlemen…" Gliss said as calmly as he could. "We can't leave her out there." He looked around and saw hope beginning to spark to life on the faces around him. "I know we were ordered to hang back, but that was when it was assumed that she'd be on board. General Solo tasked us to protect his family. If anyone objects to me countermanding his order to stay away from the main fight, speak now and your objection will be noted."

Nobody spoke up.

"Alright." He nodded absently. "Get us moving."

The Redemption was by far the largest ship in the Federation fleet, measuring nearly thirty clicks from bow to stern and more than twice that from port to starboard so moving through the cluster of much smaller battleships was a slow and painstaking process.

"Be careful not to hit our fighters, but clear us a path through this horde." Glissando instructed as the Redemption approached the several kilometer wide light fighter battleground between the battleships and Soul Reaper.

By the time they made it through the crush of battleships and light fighters Rey's disabled fighter was surrounded by a swarm of darting friendly fighters. Suddenly her protective forces scrambled away. "Magnify her ship." He ordered, his guts twisted at the possibilities of why her escort had cut out.

A heartbeat after the broken Silencer appeared at half-scale on the viewing holo the TIE's cockpit burst open and Rey, purple bladed staff a blur, ejected into open space, carving half the intact solar array off as she went. Redemption's bridge crew cheered as the Millenium Falcon swooped in and scooped her up.

"Sir, Soul Reaper's manueverability has been severely damaged, but it is turning towards us." The pilot, a young man Glissando knew as Polliver said grimly.

"Evasive manuevers, lets see if we can keep it's attention long enough to save lives." Glissando ordered. "We're the biggest and closest ship to them, lets make sure they don't forget that for even a second." He turned to Perez. "Mr. Perez, all guns on target, aim for the fleetkiller." Perez nodded grimly and relayed the message to the gunner's channel. "If we're going rogue, we may as well make it count." Glissando added then grasped his shaking hands behind his back to prowl around the bridge. "Keep us ahead of that weapon or we wont need to worry about a reprimand from Kylo Ren." He told the pilot.

Though he thought of the Jedi as Ben Solo these days, he was well aware of the young man's potential to lose his temper when his orders were flouted or ignored. Ben Solo may be a nicer version when his wife was present, but he'd proven several times in the past half year that Kylo Ren was still there, just below the surface, ready to make his displeasure known when the inevitable stress of this protracted game of cat and mouse became unbearable. Not more than a week ago the recently promoted General had fatally Force crushed an inept engineer's throat when the man had tried to lie his way out of a relatively minor mistake. Though Glissando had his reservations about General Solo's ability to control his temper, he held Rey Solo in the highest respect for her ability to sooth her husband's inner demons. He just hoped that she was present when Ben found out about this insubordination.

"Sir, Soul Reaper is powering up it's planet killer weapon." Cried a tech from across the bridge.

"How long until it fires?" Glissando barked, rushing over to read the tech's screen for himself.

"Judging by the power fluctuations, no more than twenty minutes, sir." The tech said grimly.

"Polliver, let's see if we can tempt him to turn away from the planet. Get behind him and take us in close enough for maximum effectiveness on our guns." Glissando ordered. "Lure him as far out of firing position as you can."

"Yes, Captain." The barely more than a teenager's voice clearly conveyed his grasp on the gravity of the situation.

Despite their best efforts and an extensive amount of firepower Soul Reaper refused to be tempted off it's aim.

For several tense minutes Glissando paced and worried, worried and paced. It had been more than an hour since Ben Solo had last been seen or heard from, nearly half that time since the ancient freighter carrying his wife had disappeared into the Soul Reaper. Glissando had a bad feeling that General Solo had failed in his mission and been captured or killed.

Despite the General's last order being to take out the fleetkiller weapon the giant blue bolts were still firing at full capacity. Nothing big enough to damage it could get close enough to do so. "How many battleships have we lost?" Glissando asked for the first time.

"A little over a thousand of our best, Sir."

"And how many light fighters?" He asked grimacing.

"Over one hundred thousand, Sir." Came the grim reply.

"If that planet gets destroyed, Soul Reaper will have a pathway out of here… all those hundreds of thousands of people will have died in vain." Glissando's throat was tight. "Polliver, get us into position to concentrate all guns on the planetkiller weapon."

The tech monitoring the planetkiller piped in before Polliver could even respond. "Captain, planetkiller is less than 5 minutes from fully powered according to the latest readings." He called out grimly. "Sir, we can't destroy it in that time."

Glissando's face suddenly appeared ten years older as he looked to Perez and commanded, "Order a full emergency evacuation, get as many people off of this ship in the next 5 minutes as you can." He looked around at the gaping faces. "That includes all of you."

"Sir, with respect," Polliver said hessitantly as several crewmen dashed out the door. "If you're thinking what I think you're thinking… have you lost your mind?"

"Possibly, Polliver." Glissando said grimly. "Get to a shuttle, tell the Solos it was my honor and pleasure to serve with them."

"Sir, you can't pilot this ship…" Polliver argued.

"Let me worry about that." Glissando said dismissively. "Get yourself to safety, son."

"Sir… No, Sir." Polliver said firmly. "I'm not leaving this bridge."

Glissando's chin wobbled a fraction, "You're a young man, Polliver. If you stay here, you wont be getting any older."

"Understood, Sir." Polliver's voice was full of bravado despite the fact that his eyes were full of fear.

Glissando looked around the bridge, about half the crew remained. "Go, men. You're not needed here any longer. Get as far from this ship as you can."

A few waivered but then fled the bridge until only Glissando, Polliver, and Perez remained. "Mr. Perez, we wont be needing you either."

"Yes you will." Perez said, tapping on the comstation screen. "Attention Federation Forces," He said in a loud ringing voice. "The planetkiller weapon is about to fire, if it does, we've lost. Redemption is the only vessel in a position to prevent the destruction of Aaronia and the subsequent escape of Soul Reaper, we are currently evacuating as many people as we can, please save as many as you can." Soul Reaper's large round depression began to glow a bright emerald green around the edges. "Good luck, and Godspeed." Perez signed off.

"Gentlemen, it has been an honor serving with you." Polliver said as he turned the ship to a final approach vector.

"The honor was ours, Ned." Perez said, stepping away from his console to watch as the edges of the planetkiller's depression disappeared from view.

"Punch it." Gliss said as everything including the other two men turned green from the glare of the weapon's bolt.

Polliver slammed the sublight acceleration lever into maximum and Redemption shot forward, slamming into the much larger ship's primary weapon with enough force to destroy both the weapon and the Redemption.


	45. Chapter 45

"You ready for this?" Ben asked as he and Rey faced off from opposite corners of the black cell after hours of mind-to-mind arguing over the benefits and risks of her idea to explode his light saber.

"Absolutely." Came her heartfelt reply. "Just remember to brace yourself, this explosion is going to be a lot stronger than the last time we did this."

"You just worry about those babies." His expression was deadly serious. "I'll worry about me."

'Get ready.' He cautioned. 'This is going to happen fast.'

'Toss it.' She said and reached out to catch his saber halfway between them.

"What are you doing?" Admiral Flamedancer's holoimage demanded. "Stop that!"

'Told you he was monitoring.' Ben gloated.

The floating saber hovered inside the holo. 'Make it look good.' She reminded him.

The pair bared their teeth, grunting as the saber trembled in the blue alien's chest. "Stop! Or I'll have no choice but to kill you!"

'I love you.' She thought towards Ben a moment before the door right behind him hissed open and she Force shoved him and his saber through it as hard as she could.

Ben slid backwards through the door catching his weapon and igniting it. In a heartbeat he was busy reflecting blaster bolts, slicing through black clad stormtroopers and dodging yet more bolts. As far as he could tell there had to be at least fifty guards already here and he could feel twice that number heading towards this location, at a run, from nearby. Against his better judgement he slammed the door release with a blast of Force.

Rey burst through the door and joined the fray, lilac blades spinning even as she ducked and dodged a dozen red bolts. Her shove had pushed him a good ten meters from the black cell, she realized grimly as she carved a path towards him and he did the same towards her.

Their minds were so deeply bound together that they had no need to communicate verbally or telepathically, they simply knew what each required of the other. After several tense seconds they reached each others side, one facing in each direction, protecting the other's back from the rapidly thinning hail of red lazer bolts.

Rey had never even tried reflecting blaster fire before but it came as naturally to her as breathing while she shared in his training through their mind link.

When at last the odds against them had thinned to a more managable level they broke apart and went on the offensive, killing the last dozen or so black armored troopers in rapid succession. Panting and sweating heavily from the exertion, Rey picked up on the advancing horde of enemies. 'We gotta go!' She said in a panicked voice into their shared conciousness.

'I know, hurry.' He replied, sprinting for the one access door into or out of the huge white throne room. 'Damnit!' He skidded to a halt, reaching out to the door as it's servos began to whine. 'Too late, they're here.' He gritted his teeth and clamped the gear box in a tight fist of Force energy, crushing it.

Rey tapped the gold dot behind her ear and spoke, "Hang tight, we're a little trapped right now."

"Trapped?" Poe jumped off the narrow ledge that served as a cot in his detention cell and began to prowl.

"Plan B worked great." Rey said soothingly. "But now we're one thin door away from being targeted by at least a hundred blasters… and it's starting to glow." Her eyes grew wide as a glowing red spot appeared and started to rapidly expand in the center of the door. "Gotta go." She tapped the dot again. 'Good luck.'

'Never believed in it.' He shot back as he took a position next to the door. 'Whatever happens, don't get in front of the door.' He instructed as she moved into position on the opposite side.

'You think?' She gave him a look that suggested he might be that dumb but she wasn't.

A hole opened in the center of the door and blaster bolts began to slip through it more and more as it enlarged.

Their guts clenched as they saw a bright yellow-orange beam replace the red bolts and a moment later the entire door blew inward in a hail of shrapnel. 'I love you.' He thought towards her as troopers began to stream in through the chokepoint created by the gaping doorway.

The bodies piled up pretty quickly as his red and her pale purple blades flashed and chopped, their blades nearly long enough to reach each other.

"Halt!" Ga'len's voice cut through the whine of blaster bolts. He picked his way carefully through the crowd of troopers lining the walls. "There is no need to sacrifice yourselves here. Lay down your weapons and return to your cell."

Ben reached out, getting a Force image of the hallway. Flamedancer was frustratingly close to the doorway but still just out of reach. "Or you could surrender and we might let you live out your days in the spice mines of Kessel." He said in a ringing tone.

Rey gaped at her husband. He winked and wordlessly sent her encouragement.

"I have the upper hand here, Ren." The blue Admiral asserted. "Surrender. Now." He ordered.

"I like my chances better if I don't." Ben taunted. 'Get ready to shove me, just… not so hard this time.'

Rey nodded acknowledgement.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Flamedancer scoffed. "You have no chance of escaping this ship alive."

'Now!' Ben cried into her mind and leapt toward her, flinging his saber into the hallway then calling it back into his hand as her Force shove pushed him back to safety.

"You missed." Ga'len taunted.

"Did I?" It was Ben's turn to scoff. He had taken out two of the troopers between Flamedancer and the doorway.

"How many times do you think you can get away with that foolishness?" Ga'len rolled his eyes.

In answer Ben, with Rey's assistance, did it again, taking out two more of the guards. "At least once." He called in an almost singsong voice.

There were only four more guards between the door and the alien, the eighty or so behind the Admiral wouldn't risk firing past their commander, Ben figured.

'This might hurt.' He warned her and before she could protest he stepped into the breach, deflecting bolts from the troopers between him and Ga'len as the clearly intimidated alien scrambled backwards down the hallway.

Rey rushed into the corridor, which was much narrower than most of the hallways onboard Soul Reaper, to fight beside but slightly behind her husband. Using Flamedancer's retreat as a shield against the blasters behind him they cut down or reflected bolts back at the troopers in front of him.

Rey winced as a bolt grazed Ben's outter thigh but he didn't react to the burning sting at all, just kept batting bolts down the narrow corridor, trying to hit the fleeing enemy commander but generally hitting troopers around him instead. After a good seven meters Ga'len turned on his heel and sprinted away from the oncoming Jedi opening the path for more and more blasters to fire at them.


	46. Chapter 46

Rey screamed as a red hot bolt of fiery energy slipped past them both and caught her in the left upper arm.

Ben bellowed in rage and attacked even more ferociously, taking out five enemy combatants in quick succession. Forward progress was slow even as both Jedi had to move like lightening to avoid dozens of bolts of killing energy directed at them. The longer they fought the more they could feel their enemies' uncertainty and fear grow. The only upside was that the more fearful the troopers became the worse their aim was.

Even in the narrow confines of the four meter wide corridor bolts began to dart wildly off course until even the Force couldn't fully anticipate their paths.

Ben roared as seering pain sliced through his hip, reflexively he looked toward the pain and his heart skipped a beat. He wasn't injured.

All thoughts of the four dozen or so remaining enemies fled his mind and he whipped around to find Rey leaning heavily against the wall, her teeth clenched, her skin pale, blood gushing through her fingers where they clutched at her hip, inches from disaster. Then pain seered through his shoulder, causing him to drop his weapon.

'I'm so sorry.' He thought towards her as another bolt caught him squarely in the thigh.

She shreiked at his pain and hers too as another bolt grazed her ribs.

His anger and shame at having gotten her and their children into this mess far exceeded his pain. But the sight of that bolt leaving a black furrow along her ribcage, inches from her heart, completely undid him. With a mindless rage-filled roar he turned back toward the enemies and hurled a wave of Force energy down the corridor, knocking the troopers several feet through the air. In a blink his pain was gone, his saber back in his hand and he was slicing through troopers left and right. Before they could even scramble to their feet half the remaining enemy gunmen were lying in pieces on the floor. Still more died before they could raise their blasters.

Rey watched in a mixture of awe and horror as her husband's inky dark eyes flashed yellow and he turned away from her. In the space of a few short panting breaths she watched him throw nearly fifty men a good three meters down the hallway simultaniously and leap into their midst, a blur of crimson and black. She felt terror sweep towards her down the hall as Ben's saber flashed and whirled with an inhuman speed, through more than twenty men in a matter of seconds.

His blade moved through some of them so fast that it didn't even cauterize the wounds. Blood sprayed against the walls soaking the floor and the man who was creating the carnage like a whirlwind of death.

For the first time in a long time she felt suffocating fear as she watched the love of her life completely unleash his full dark potential upon their enemies. She feared that he might not be able to find his way back as she felt his soul singing with an almost joyous abandon.

This, she realized, this is what Snoke saw inside of Ben Solo. This is what the evil bastard had tried to coax out of Kylo Ren... Pure -unadulterated, unthinking, unapologetic- violence.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Ben felt Rey's fear and realized that it was not fear for him, but of him. He had to end this now, he recognized. With an almost regretful reluctance he scooped the remaining men into a giant Force fist and crushed them with such fervor that most of them exploded like Hux had.

Panting, blood mixed with sweat rolling down his face he turned back to look at her.

Rey's eyes were as wide as saucers as she looked at him. His shaggy long hair was plastered to his head as if he was just stepping out of a shower, but it was dripping blood, not water. The end of the corridor was completely painted in red, even Ben's black clothing had a red sheen to it… but the eyes staring back at her were far more terrifying than the blood and gore... She'd never imagined that such a happy, soothing color -yellow- could be so sinister. "Ben." She said weakly and slipped painfully down the wall into a puddle of her own blood.

In a flash he was scooping her into his arms as conciousness fled from her mind.

"Finn," Poe whispered, holding his finger against the golden dot behind his earlobe. "Finn, can you hear me?"

He prowled around the tiny detention cell. "Damnit, Finn, remember the gold dot." He growled.

"Chewbacca, can you hear me?" He tried a different tact.

"Yeah, I hear ya." Chewie replied in his strangely accented common-tongue translation.

"I can't reach Finn." Poe raked a hand through his hair. "We've been here too long, Rey said to give her an hour, it's been twice that. Something's went wrong, we need to get them and get out of here."

"Where are you, exactly?" Chewie asked, keying up a holoimage on the Falcon's computer.

"Section 1138, prisoner block T-K, cell 4-2-1." Poe reported.

"Ok, I'll think of something, sit tight." Chewie assured him then looked around the otherwise empty cabin of the Millenium Falcon. He had his bowcaster of course, but that wouldn't do him much good considering that every person who saw him would automatically know that he didn't belong here. He shrank the holo image and stared at it, thinking hard. The detention block where his allies were being held was easily fifty clicks below center and ten clicks deep inside the main ball section of the Soul Reaper. It could take days trying to sneak there. The Falcon was down to one gun, and no gunners so he couldn't blast his way in. He had Poe's astromech but it wouldn't fit through the upper hatch. He flopped down at the gaming table and dropped his head into his hands with a mournful sound.

'Han would know what to do.' He told himself. Han always seemed to have an idea for any tight spot the duo had found themselves in over the years... and in more than four decades they'd found themselves in hundreds of tight spots.

He needed a human. 'Ooor…' He thought to himself and lurched to his feet. He hastened to the tiny sleeping alcove where he'd left 3PO powered down lying on the floor after the droid had annoyed him while Chewie had been trying to sleep.

"…can sleep at a time like this." C3PO finished his sentence.

Chewie roared at him.

"You need me? Whatever for?" 3PO sat up, looking around in confusion.


	47. Chapter 47

Ben placed his hand over the oozing wound on his wife's hip and diverted the energy still humming through his veins into her wound. He could feel the severed veins and arteries knitting back together as if it were happening inside his own body. He became aware of a group of people traveling towards him so fast they could only be traveling via one of the horizontal turbolifts that conveyed personnel and/or freight all throughout the massive ship like a human's circulatory system carries blood. He laid Rey gently on the ground beside the turbolift's door and took a deep breath, held it for few seconds then exhaled slowly and ignited his light saber.

The lift doors hissed open and a dozen hand held blastercannons turned toward him. Instantly a surge of Force shot through him along with a jolt of purely human adrenalin… he threw himself into the turbolift hacking and slashing, severing cannons and limbs alike.

The fight didn't last long enough for even one Force-befuddled mignight-blue armored trooper to line up a shot and pull the trigger. He held the doors open and retrieved Rey for the ride to the hangar where they'd left Chewbacca and the Millenium Falcon. "Chewie," He whispered, touching the gold dot behind his ear with an invisible tendril of Force energy.

He couldn't help but wonder about the staggeringly huge amount of Force energy he could feel zinging through him with what, he judged, was nearly enough power to cause the bright blue-white glow he'd only experienced once before… while holding Rey's dead body against his heart.

She had lost so much blood her heart was barely beating... his was hammering painfully in his throat and throbbing in his chest at the same time. Interminible minutes passed as he felt not only her heart laboring, but two other, tiny hearts struggling to keep beating.

He sank to the floor cradling her head against his uninjured left shoulder he placed his right hand against her heart, closed his still bright yellow eyes and concentrated every bit of his being on transferring the energy zinging through him into her faltering heart. He lost all sensation in his body as his hand began to glow against her chest. The bright scarlet light quickly faded just as quickly into a lilac rose that faded into a blue-white shimmer of blinding intensity.

He could feel her body being bolstered by his efforts as all three hearts began to beat more strongly. Even the insides of his eyelids were whitened in the glare of brilliant white light as his body began to hum and the light crept up his arm and spread to his whole body.

When the lift doors opened into the ridiculously huge fighter bay that was currently housing the Falcon along with several thousand troopers in bright crimson armor of the light-weapon-resistant variety and one blue alien dressed in white, Ben stepped out and Rey's skin erupted into bright white light the same as his.

To those already in the hangar it appeared as if ten foot wide star had burst free of the lift and across the hanger… the light was so brilliant that even the shieled eyes of the troopers had to turn away from it.

Ben hurried across the tarmac, and Force-leapt onto the top of the Falcon, the glowing light fading away as he crossed to the tophatch. Chewie threw open the round portal as soon as Ben reached it and gingerly helped lower Rey into the cabin.

Ben dropped in the moment it was clear to do so. "We have to get her to a medical facility immediately." He said in a panicky tone.

Chewie made several angry noises and Ben responded, "We'll have to come back for them, she's dying, Chewie. She needs blood. Now."

Chewie hessitated.

"Chewie!" Ben's anguished cry spurred the furry giant into action.

Chewie rushed to the cockpit, explaining the situation to Poe as he went.

"Yeah, get her to safety then come back for us." Poe agreed grimly. "I'll try to think of something to bust us out of here in the mean time."

"Poe," Ben said earnestly. "As soon as she wakes up we're on our way back."

"Understood." Poe grimaced. He was on his own for the next several hours, days, or possibly minutes if the smug blue alien decided to order him dead. He stepped to the center of his dully grey cell and turned a slow circle, looking for any inspiration.

"We're pointed in the right direction, this should work like a blaster bolt fired through the maglock." Ben said more to reassure himself than anything else as he held Rey in his lap next to the gaming table, his dully glowing hand pressed firmly over her heart.

Chewie's familiar rolling growl of a purr filtered back to him from the cockpit and Ben clutched his barely breathing wife to him even closer.

Vibrating from the stress of traveling at nearly 2.5 times it's normal hyperspace speed the Falcon shot out of the Soul Reaper in a flash of light and a wall of concussive shock that nearly liquified anyone within half a click of the freighter. The force of the wave efficiently killed everyone unlucky enough to be inside the hanger as a massive sphere of damage cause the floor and roof to collapse into a huge pit of rubble more than fifty levels from top to bottom.

Chewie worked furiously at the controls switching seats several times to bring the ship to a new heading. When at last he was satisfied he dropped out of hyperspace and brought up a navchart.

He pressed a finger to his ear and relayed their position and options to Ben.

"The closest infirmary to us is on Kessel. We're about half an hour from it if we use the Widow's Window." His strange nearly human voice sounded in Ben's ear even as his muffled Kashyyki drifted into the main cabin.

"The Widow's Window?" Ben asked dubiously.

"It's a route that almost nobody even knows exists, and even fewer are willing to try." Chewie said grimly.

"And if we try for a more navigable route?" Ben asked, feeling every one of his own injuries and Rey's too as the Energy passing between then weakened slowly.

"Three times as long." Chewie replied solemnly.

"How far are we from the fleet?" Ben inquired, wanting as much information as possible.

"About four hours." Chewie answered.

"Can you handle the Window on your own?" Ben wasn't about to leave Rey in C3PO's care and BB-8 was of even less use for providing medical assistance.

"Your dad did." Chewie said with a hint of pride at his buddy's accomplishment. "I was too gaga from putting out an electrical fire in a hold full of bundled spice to be of any use."

"Can the Falcon handle it?" He needed reassurance but all he got was an answer he should have expected from his father's constant shadow.

"One way to find out." Chewie said, keying in the nav computer override code.

"Do it." Ben hated this idea, but he had no real choice his entire universe was barely holding on by a thread.

"Come up here kid, this isn't something you're gonna want to miss." Chewie said seriously.


	48. Chapter 48

"Threepio, look for a medkit, anything that might help stabilize her." Ben instructed as he rose from the end of the curved bench with his wife still clutched in his arms.

C3PO glanced around nervously. "Oh why have I never been upgraded with medical programming?" The droid wailed as Ben staggered down the hall to the cockpit.

His own blood loss and lack of adrenaline were catching up to him now that nobody was actively trying to kill them. The pain in his shoulder alone was enough to make his head swim without the benefit of surging Force energy to bolster his body's ability to withstand the effects of such trauma. Dizzy, sweating and panting from the exertion he flopped down on the foldout jump seat near the doorway as Chewie smashed buttons on the navcomputer.

An alarm sounded and Chewie muted it before the it made barely more than a quick "Bloop!" sound.

"What was that?" Ben asked nervously.

Chewie's rumbled reply caused Ben's eyes to widen fearfully.

"What do you mean, 'suicide alarm?'" Ben gaped.

Chewie explained in his own language that it was just a nickname for the alarm that sounded when unsafe coordinants were manually entered into the navcomputer.

"Chewie, if you kill us, I'll hunt you down and torment you in the afterlife." Ben promised as the rusty furred Wookiee switched to the captain's chair and reached for the hyperdrive ignition.

Chewie purred in reply and sent the Falcon into hyperspace at it's maximum velocity. About ten minutes later the ship snapped back into realspace and Chewie pounded at the nav computer keys until he'd muted the alarm again. Back and forth he bounced no less than four times in the next five minutes.

Ben was impressed by the spry movements of the nearly quarter of a millenia old Wookiee... though technically Chewie was firmly into his middle-age years.

"Threepio!" Ben shouted. "Get up here!"

"Master Ben?" Threepio said inquiringly as if he had no idea why he was being summoned.

"Where's the medkit?" Ben demanded.

"Medkit?" Threepio asked blankly.

"Do you *want* to be melted down for scrap metal?" Ben growled. "Get me the medkit!"

"I don't know where it is!" The droid cried dramatically. "Oh, blast my circuits! Mistress Rey is going to die and it will be all my fault! I'm so useless! Perhaps you should just melt me down for scrap!" He wailed.

Chewie roared and threw a drinking thermos at the droid.

"Well my goodness, how was I supposed to know it was in the panel with the red symbol on it? I am a protocol droid, not a medical droid!" He protested.

"Get the kit!" Ben snarled.

It took Threepio almost long enough to drive Ben insane to retrieve the medkit, but once he had Ben rifled through it desperately. "Chewie what is this?" He Force flung a small glass vial in front of the nearly overwhelmed pilot. "I don't know that language."

Chewie barked in reply and Ben's heart leapt.

"Perfect!" He caught the vial and quickly loaded it into an autoinjector from the big grey metal box.

Rey's eyes fluttered a moment later as the synthetic adrenalin bolstered her body. Ben could feel how much more steadily her heart began to beat and relief washed over him.

Chewie rumbled and grumbled tensely.

"Alright, I can pilot for a bit." Ben said in reaction to Chewie's warning about the most dangerous part coming up. "She's doing better." He laid her gently on the floor and called for Threepio again. "If I say so, inject her with this." He Force floated the loaded autoinjector to Threepio.

Threepio looked at the medical device then Ben, then Rey and back to Ben who was already ignoring him.

Chewie tapped away on the navcomputer and roar-purred instructions at the same time.

"Threepio," Ben said. "Give her a shot."

The droid hessitated.

"You just saw me do it!" Ben growled. "Press the end against that red spot on her neck and push the button." He dropped the Falcon out of hyperspace at Chewie's prompt then fluttered it back into and out of hyperspace.

Everything outside of the cockpit was utterly black, not even Star Lines delineated the transitions between realspace and hyperspace. Chewie let the suicide alarm ring shrilly through the cabin as he tapped in a series of coordinants in rapid succession while Ben piloted the antique freighter through a series of jumps that left the Jedi wondering how his father had managed to do this by himself. "What?" Ben yelped when Chewie shut off the alarm and warned him that the dangerous part was coming up. "A dozen half-second microjumps through a black hole cluster wasn't the dangerous part?"

Chewie relayed what navigating the deadly bottleneck section of the Window was like.

This stretch of space, where three monsterously huge black holes surounding them were at their closest to each other, was responsible for the monicker "Widow's Window" that this little known path had come by honestly.

"Wait, let me get this straight…" Ben gaped at Chewie. "I have to pilot this broken piece of junk through a quarter-million kilometers of an invisible winding path with no landmarks… on sublight engines alone? How did my father do that exactly?" He reached out and watched the memory flit through Chewbacca's mind even as the Wookiee denied knowing how Han had managed it.

Only through sheer luck had the Falcon's hyperdrive overheated from the stress of navigating the micro jumps and forced Han to pilot the ship on sublights that long ago day. His mind had remained sharp enough to burn the image into his brain but his body had been nearly catatonic from the effects of the burning spice he had inhaled while dousing a fire in the hidden compartment under the shower floor caused by the overheated hyperdrive. He had been strapped into the jump seat, watching as his little human pal had manually piloted the much younger freighter through a series of twists and turns only visible to Han on the environmental scanner display.

Ben withdrew from Chewie's mind and flicked on the environmental scanner display and scowled at it, trying to figure out what information Han had used to guide him amongst the various wavy green lines and fluctuating magnetic, gravitational, and mostly blank atmospheric readings on the screen.

"Gah!" Ben groaned in frustration. "I don't see anything useful here!"

Chewie made an urgent sounding reply.

"I am looking harder!" Ben's eyes darted across the screen frantically for a long moment pausing briefly on each piece of information. "That's gotta be it!" He cried triumphantly when his brain did a double take on the only number being displayed under the external atmospheric sensor reading. "Empty space is actually filled with hydrogen, right?" He flicked a glance at Chewie, who shrugged unknowingly. "It is." He insisted. "So if we stay where we have good hydrogen readings, we should be safe."

Chewie made an encouraging sound.

"Right." Ben let out a loud breath. "Hit her again, Threepio."

"I would never strike a person!" The droid protested, clearly offended by the suggestion.

"Give her another shot!" Ben snapped and drifted the Falcon through a widening corkscrew manuever, his eyes glued to the fluctuating hydrogen reading.

"Oh! Yes, of course!" The annoying droid responded sounding less than abashed.

"Alright," Ben mused. "So the window is only about twenty times wider than this ship…" He flipped a few switches and dialed up the speed on the sublights. "Here we go."


	49. Chapter 49

Ben's nerves were a jangled mess, his attention split between monitoring Rey and the babies' hearts and trying to follow the ever fluctuating path through the tiniest of windows between three massive black holes. He could use the Force to keep an eye on his family, but it failed him completely in the lifeless, matterless void of this miniscule space between possible life or certain death for everyone onboard the Millenium Falcon.

He felt blinded and helpless by the lack of sensory input from the Force. All his life he'd had a part of him that longed to be just a normal, everyday, regular person but now that he had been able to actually experience what that felt like, both inside the black cell and by having to navigate this narrow path with no Force feedback, he let that tiny piece of him die.

His impatience to get Rey to a medical facility was at war with his need to go slowly and cautiously through this invisible maze.

The atmospheric hydrogen number started to rapidly decline and he steered the busted up cargo ship in a tight vertical three-sixty, looking for better numbers. Panic gripped his insides in a steel vice as he watched the numbers plummet and failed to find a more stable spot. The ship began to slide toward the relative right, into far worse readings, and he fought to bring it back under control. He enlisted Chewie's help to keep the steering under control as the whole ship began to shutter from the stress of trying to break the hold of the nearby black hole's gravity field.

The Falcon's sublight engines began to whine as Ben opened the throttle to full. Slowly, meter by meter, the Falcon pulled away from the grasping gravity shadow. If not for the terrifying squeal echoing up from the sublights you could have heard a pin drop in the cockpit as neither Ben nor Chewbacca dared to breathe for a long, tense, moment while the ancient ship squealed, shuttered and clanged in protest. The hydrogen readings were nearly nonexistent here, less than 100,000 molecules per cubic foot. They were literally on the very edge of catastrophic disaster.

"Threepio. Give her another dose." Ben gasped, dragging air into his starving lungs.

Even the normally garrulous droid was too frightened to say anything as this point.

The Falcon began to pick up speed as the sensor readings began to normalize and Ben dialed back the speed to keep the notoriously fickle ship from blowing a gasket.

The readings kept picking up, 1,000,000… 100,000,000… the parts per cubic foot measure just kept going up and up. "Are we through it?" Ben asked into the quiet that had fallen when they'd broken the black hole's grip on the ship.

Chewie hummed a throaty purr and shrugged.

Ben swore silently. "Ok, well…" He dialed up the speed. "Let's hope so."

He kept his eyes glued to the screen and his attention fixed to his wife's heart rate even as he navigated through the the final few turns of the incredibly deadly path at full throttle.

At last a distant, lonely, star began to glimmer in the distance. Chewie whooped and jumped out of his seat to hug his best pal's son.

Ben's relief at seeing the star was cut off, along with his airway, when Chewbacca snatched him out of his seat and hugged him hard enough to pop nearly every vertebrae in his spine. Luckily the rusty red Wookiee didn't hug him for long, Ben's head was spinning from the overly zealous embrace when Chewie set him on his feet and ruffled his hair with a few glowing praises.

"Gah," Ben protested, blushing slightly. "You know I always hated that." He smoothed his touseled hair.

Chewie's raucous laughter drowned out Threepio's prissy admonition about the crude nature of Wookiee affection.

"Alright, it's all yours from here, Chewie." Ben said and knelt next to Rey. Taking the nearly empty injector gun from Threepio he checked it and handed it back to the golden droid. As little as she was, compared to him, Rey felt like a ton of bricks to his nearly debilitated body but he scooped her into his fatigued arms anyway and stumbled back to the jumpseat. His danger induced adrenalin seeped away, allowing him to feel every bit of the pain, weakness, and exhaustion in his battered body.

He'd heard his father boast about the Falcon's speed all throughout his childhood but he'd never really appreciated it as a fact until Chewbacca piloted the old rust bucket into the open-air hangar at the prison complex, atop the rich spice mine that supplied half the galaxy with bacta, just five minutes later.

Chewie set the falcon down gently on it's belly and Ben could feel Rey's heart beginning to flutter dangerously as his own weakened state sapped him beyond his capacity to keep channeling Force into her. "Threepio," Ben said groggily. "Give her another shot... she needs blood, a lot of blood." His voice slurred drunkenly.

Threepio injected Rey as instructed then cried out in alarm when Ben fell unconcious a moment later.

Chewie blew out the cockpit glass with his bowcaster and pried Rey from Ben's near death grip tight grasp. He roared for assistance as a dozen guards sprinted across the tarmac toward the Falcon.

They pointed their weapons at him and C3PO called out, "We have a medical emergency, please help us!"

"What kind of medical emergency?" The lead guard called back with hostility.

"We have a pregnant woman in need of blood, and a Jedi that's been shot several times!" The panicky droid called out desperately.

The guards could see Rey laying limply in Chewie's arms. "Is that Rey Solo?" One of them gasped.

"It is!" C3PO cried out joyously. "And Ben Solo is in here in dire need of assistance as well!"

Six guards stepped up to help Chewie lower first Rey then Ben to the ground before Chewie jumped down and motioned for Threepio to follow.

"Oh, I couldn't! I'm not made for jumping!" Threepio protested.

Chewie roared and held up his arms to assist the droid down.

No sooner had they stepped away from the cockpit but BB-8 came whizzing through the broken window to land neatly next to them. "Nobody likes a show off!" Threepio grumbled haughtily.

BB-8 chirped in a tone and pattern that sounded suspiciously like a rude retort.


	50. Chapter 50

Pain. Swirling, biting, clawing, piercing, hot and overwhelming pain. That's the first thing Rey noticed when the darkness receeded, pain. Her whole body felt like she'd been run through a meat grinder. Her ribs, just below her right breast were burning, her left hip was throbbing, her shoulders felt like they had been ripped off and put back on with bonding tape, her outter left thigh stung like a thousand sand flea bites and her right thigh felt like it had been reattached after an unfortunate incedent with a junk shredder.

Even her hair hurt, she realized, when she tried to turn her head.

A groan tore from her throat when she tried to open her eyes... Even they hurt.

'Ben?' She begged her aching swirling mind to reach out to his. 'Can you hear me?'

She could feel him nearby, but he didn't answer. "Ben?" She croaked without opening her eyes.

"Rey!" Came a friendly voice from what sounded like a long way off. A warm hand clasped hers. "She's waking up!" The familiar yet distant voice called happily.

She risked a fluttering glance toward the warmth holding onto her hand. "Finn…" She rasped through parched lips. "Is he alright?"

"He will be, Rey." Finn's smooth, creamy voice echoed in her head.

"Poe? Chewie?" She asked weakly with darkness swirling through her mind.

"Both fine, only you and Ben got hurt." Finn assured her.

Rey squeezed his hand and submitted to the pull towards unconciousness.

Ben woke up in agony, his entire body wracked with pain. He knew that only about half his pains were his own and that knowledge made him sigh with relief in spite of the pain. 'Rey?' He reached into her mind. She wasn't awake, he realized and was relieved further. The fact that she wasn't feeling this pain was a small comfort.

He opened his eyes and sucked in a painful gulp of air… his eye lids felt like they were full of sand. Refusing to give into the temptation to close them again he glanced around, taking in his surroundings with his eyes and the Force at the same time.

"Poe?" He gasped, shocked to see the man.

"Yeah, buddy, I'm here." Poe hurried over to his bedside. "Do you need a medtech?"

"Yeah…" Ben groaned painfully. "She needs sinmorph."

"You could use some too, I bet." Finn said stepping into Ben's field of vision.

"I've been through worse without it." He rasped. "But yeah, she'll feel this when she wakes up, so I guess I need some, too."

"Alright buddy, I'll get someone right on that." Poe said almost gently.

"The babies…" Ben croaked.

"They're ok." Finn assured him.

"The Syndrenal?" He was too painful to mince words. "Will they be… damaged after all that?"

"You'll have to ask the tech, I have no idea." Finn frowned.

"How did you escape?" Ben finally thought to ask.

"I'm not completely sure, but the powercore failed, Poe pried the doors to our cells open… we boosted a shuttle and when we passed by the hangar where the Falcon had been… it wasn't there anymore, just a huge crater." Finn gave Ben a curious look. "What did you do to cause that?"

"Chewie did it, not me, we left the hangar at .5 past light speed." He replied tiredly.

"Well, that must be what did it." Finn grinned. "The shockwave knocked down walls through the whole level and took out the Core from there I'm assuming... It definitely caused enough chaos for us to steal a hyperdrive enabled shuttle from a different bay…" He leaned down to look into Ben's slitted eyes. "You killed that blue bastard on take off." He grinned menacingly. "And about ten thousand of his best troops… it was echoing through every speaker on the ship."

"The ship… it got away…" Ben was starting to drift towards sleep.

"No, it didn't." Finn assured him. "Poe called in their coordinants from our shuttle, we've been informed that your escape left it dead in space close enough to the Kessel Cluster that it drifted right into a black hole just as our fleet caught up to it."

Ben frowned. "How did you find us?"

"This was the closest medbay, we called in to see if you were here." Finn shrugged.

"Ok." Ben sighed and passed out.

'Ben?' Her voice echoed in his mind, pulling him from his fretful sleep.

'I'm here, sweetheart.' He thought back to her.

The pain was more of a dull throb throughout his body than the hellish agony it had been before. He opened his eyes and looked down at himself.

He frowned in confusion. He was clean but nude beneath the thin sheet that covered him from ribs to ankles. 'Where are my clothes?'

Rey turned her head to look across the narrow divide between their sickbay beds. 'I don't know, but it looks like someone cleaned the blood off of you, maybe they took the clothes for washing.'

He looked over at her and his frown deepened, 'Where are your clothes?'

'Probably with yours.' She thought.

He was reassured by the feel of his unborn daughters' hearts beating strong, their force signatures pulsing steadily. For a moment he relaxed into his pillow, staring at his wife, thinking back over the events that had brought them to this place.

He frowned and called out, "Chewie?"

Chewie purrowled as softly as he could and stood up from his chair by the door.

Ben's voice was much more normal than it had been since he'd been shot as he asked, "What happened? The last thing I remember was making it out of the black hole field and turning the pilot's seat back over to you."

Chewie told them about the destruction of Soul Reaper, the escape of Finn and Poe, and how, in the wake of their victory, most of the hold out systems in the known galaxy had petitioned to join the Federation.

"How long have we been out of it?" Ben gaped.

Chewie made a mournful sound.

"Three weeks?" Rey said sharply.

Chewie nodded.

Ben let out a long sigh and attempted to sit up. "Force, I feel as weak as a newborn." He groaned when his third try failed.

"That's to be expected after all you've been through." Said a mild voiced human in a medical smock as he bustled into the room. "I'm Doctor Pershing, prisoner base 814's lead physician." The tall reedy man introduced himself. "I'm the one who patched you up."

"Thanks." Ben and Rey both said simultaniously.

"I'm betting you have some questions for me, and I know I have some for you." Pershing smiled mildly.

"Our girls…" Rey stroked her enormous belly. "Will they be affected by all this?"

"Only time will tell for certain, but I don't think so, all of the scans and tests we did while you were out of it showed them to be functioning normally for this stage of gestation." He answered.

Both parents-to-be let out a relieved breath.

"When can we leave?" Ben asked, eager to leave the hospital setting as far behind him as possible.

"Your strength should return pretty quickly over the next day or two. As soon as you can walk out of here, you're free to go." The doctor informed them his natural friendliness shining through in the smile that went all the way to his eyes.

"Good," Rey said with a thin smile. "We need to get back to the Redemption. Gliss is probably worried sick about us."

"You maybe." Ben sniffed.

Chewie hung his head, his shoulders slumping, and told them about the fate of their ship and it's brave captain.


	51. Chapter 51

Rey couldn't believe her eyes, the Millenium Falcon stood on replaced landing pegs, it's ramp open and welcoming on the red stone landing pad outside of Kessel's main medical facility. "You did this in three weeks?" She eyed Chewie in wonder.

Chewie shrugged and purrowled humbly.

"How'd you get ahold of the cockpit glass?" Ben asked as the trio plus threepio ascended the ramp.

Chewie told him.

"Remind me to thank them." Ben shook his head ruefully. "Even the trade routes aren't exactly safe."

"So, we are going to use Han's route getting out of here, right?" Rey batted her lashes at her scowling husband.

"Not a chance." Ben declined forcefully.

"Oh, come on!" Rey's smile faded.

"Once through that maze was enough excitement to last me for a lifetime." Ben shook his head stubbornly.

"It'll be different this time." She argued. "You aren't shot to pieces and I'm not half dead."

Ben glared at her. "Maybe not, but that's a path that takes only a fraction of a heartbeat to kill you. It's too dangerous."

"Bleh!" She grunted. "If you and the Falcon could do it in the shape you were both in, it should be easy now." She coaxed.

Ben scoffed wordlessly and strapped himself into the co-pilot's seat. "The commercial route will do, Chewie." Ben said firmly.

"It's Chewie's ship, he should decide the route." Rey's expression begged the furry giant to choose her option.

Chewie looked between the two then growled his answer.

Rey slumped into the jump seat, defeated.

"He's right, we almost blew the sublights on the way in, they'll need going over by a pro before the ship can even contemplate doing anything that stupid again." Ben said, feeling no triumph in winning his first arguement with his wife. Rey's misery got to him too much to allow him to savor the victory.

He slipped into her mind and sent her the entire memory of their entry into the Kessel system.

"Wow." She said when the memory was finished playing. "That was terrifying!"

"If you still want to do it…" Ben promised. "We'll come back some day after the kids are grown up, but until then, no way."

"Why can't we just wait til after they're born?" Rey frowned, rubbing her belly while one of them kicked her enthusiastically.

"You grew up without parents, I may as well have…" He didn't acknowledge Chewie's snarfle and glare at those words. "Our kids aren't going to ever have to worry about that." He vowed. "If it kills me they'll never go through a day where they wonder where we are or if we love them."

Rey's disapointment dissipated into a dreamy, misty eyed smile. "Ok." She agreed. "But as soon as they're grown up, we're coming back here."

A week later…

Ko'da greeted the pair with reverent diffidence as they stepped down the ramp of the bat-winged shuttle they'd borrowed from their temporary home aboard a Federation dreadnaught named the Revenant. "Sacred ones, we are honored to welcome you back to our village!" The diamond skinned alien bowed deeply. "We have much to show you and many gifts for our saviours! Please, come with me."

He lead them into the temple cave.

"Gifts are not necessary," Ben protested.

"These are." Ko'da smiled, his luminous body lighting their way while he lead them through the darkened cavern to a tunnel they'd never noticed before.

"Not even the Halcyon has been this deeply into our temple." Ko'da informed them as it pressed it's slender hand to a smooth place on the stone wall. The stone in front of them whooshed open and both Jedi gaped with wide eyes and open mouths at the very modern turbo lift in front of them.

The trio stepped inside and descended for only a few seconds before the door opened again shocking the outsiders to the core.

The facility beyond the turbolift looked as if it belonged aboard a ship as sophisticated and large as the Redemption. White walls, floor and ceiling glowed softly, computer terminals and work stations dotted the foreground while huge shelves of books extended into the distance.

"We are not safe above the ground, farkillers rule up there, we live and work down here." Ko'da explained.

"You never fail to amaze us, Ko'da." Ben mused, looking around in wonder.

"Our scholars have finished translating your tomes." Ko'da gestured to a nearby computer terminal with the Jedi texts stacked neatly next to it. "Surprizingly they discovered that two of your manuscripts had companion texts here, in our own library. Those have been translated for you as well."

"How…?" Rey was curious but confused.

"When Je'di came, it gifted several texts us, now we gift them to you." Ko'da lifted a tiny box from next to the stack of Jedi books and opened it.

It appeared to be empty at first, but upon closer inspection Rey discovered two tiny, clear concaved discs. "What are these?" She asked, taking the box and peering into it.

Ko'da handed Ben an identically sized box in a different shade of grey as he replied, "Data readers." Recognizing the confusion on the human's faces he added, "Touch them to your eyes."

"Huh?" She recoiled.

"Like the translator behind your ear allows you to hear, these must touch your eye so you can see." The slender being demonstrated by removing one disc from it's own eye then replacing it.

Ben was the first to successfully insert the disc into his eye. "Whoa!" He yelped. "That's trippy."

"You need both for best results." Ko'da said encouragingly.

The second disc went in more easily and Ben blinked owlishly around the room. The discs reminded him of the display inside his helmet except that they seemed to just add to the world around him instead of limiting his view to a rectangular digital display. He looked at Rey and grinned. "How do I change the labels?"

Ko'da responded, "This terminal will allow you to customize your displays."

Ben looked at the terminal and jumped. Above the nondescript terminal was now what appeared to be a hologram of a typical computer display.

Rey inserted her second disc and looked around as Ben had, her mouth agape until she looked at her husband then she started giggling. "Yes, I need to change a label too."

They shared a mental laugh over the mistaken label on the display.

"Did we make a grave error?" Ko'da asked, concerned.

"No," Ben grinned. "The label is absolutely true, just not exactly correct."

"Which label?" Ko'da inquired.

Ben was trying very hard not to laugh when he responded, "The one that lists gender…" He bit down hard on his bottom lip to keep the laughter at bay. "My lovely wife should read as 'Gender: Female' not 'Sex: Godess' … in the interest of linguistic correctness, of course."

Ko'da frowned. "Our apologies, the technician must have misunderstood our instructions."

Rey thought to her husband, 'At least they mistook you for a sex god instead of a woman this time.'

'We'll see if you still think this one's a mistake after we get back to the ship.' He promised and winked at her with an exaggerated leer spreading across his face.

"No need to apologize," Rey smiled despite the bright flush to her cheeks. "As my husband stated, the labels are right… though not quite correct."

Ko'da nodded solemnly, completely unaware of why the human beings found the simple mistake to be so humorous. "Our technology evolved seperately from yours, so you'll need a terminal in order to manipulate your ocular sensors or access the translated manuscripts." The alien motioned to the computer. "We make you a gift of this one."

Ben was taken aback by the Aaronian's generousity. "That's very generous of you, but I doubt we'd be able to make ot compatible with our power outlets…" He said.

"Power outlets?" Ko'da frowned. "What is a 'power outlet'?"

"It's how we provide power for out technology." Ben tilted his head slightly. "You don't have those here?"

"No, the power generator is built in to our macrotech and our microtech is powered by body energy..." Ko'da was more curious than anything now. "How do you fly beyond the stars with such primitive energy technology?"

"Force knows." Ben shook his head. "I guess we spend too much time and resources on war, weapons, and travel tech." He shrugged.

Ko'da frowned again but changed the subject. "Can you show us your weapons?"

Ben's brows shot upward but he pulled his saber from his belt and offered it to the alien.

"Activate it, please." Ko'da didn't reach for the light saber.

Ben stepped back and ignited his crimson blades.

"Curious." Ko'da said thoughtfully. "And yours?" It asked Rey.

She ignited her blades as well.

"Very curious." Ko'da clicked it's tongue.

"They are powered by the crystals within them." Ben explained, extinguishing his weapon and securing it to his belt.

"Come, there is more to show you." Ko'da led them back to the temple cavern, to the opposite wall from the carved, inlaid and painted prophecy wall. The alien's bioluminessence glowed brighter and brighter as they crossed the room.

Out of the darkness what appeared to be a human figure holding a T shaped object of bright white began to emerge. As light spilled over the wall their ocular sensors began to identify and label the various materials that comprised the carved and painted figure. Below the figure was several lines of script.

"What's it say?" Rey asked, confused by the white blades.

"It speaks of your gift of purity from vanquishing the great evil." Ko'da said. "But your blades are unchanged."

"Can you read it as it's written?" Ben asked.

"Certainly." Ko'da acquiessed. "If the chosen shall emerge victorious over the great evil, it shall be imbued with the power of the Halcyon." It's hand slid across the words as it spoke. "Once it's heart and blade have been cleansed, it's legacy shall bring lasting harmony between the powers of creation and destruction."

"What is this 'Halcyon' power that you speak of?" Rey asked.

"The power of Je'di the ancient one." Ko'da answered simply. "The prophet who foretold your coming."

"He was Halcyon?" Ben asked, touching a finger to the image of his and Rey's weapons arranged with his pointed toward the floor and hers horizontal, as if his crossguards were as long as his blade.

"Yes, a very powerful Halcyon prophet." Ko'da nodded. "We have included the history of Je'di the ancient and the history of Halcyon to your translated tome files on the computer we have gifted you..." The alien hessitated. "One of your own manuscripts is titled 'The Fall of the Halcyon Order.' You should read it after the books about Halcyon that we have included as gifts."

"The Halcyon Order?" Rey frowned. "I've never heard of such a thing."

"Few have." Ben mused. "I ran across a few mentions of them in my search of the Jedi Archives."

"What is it?" Rey looked at her husband in shock.

"According to what I read…" He hessitated. "An order of Force users that predates both the Jedi and Sith by ages."

"How could they predate the light and dark sides of the Force?" Her eyes were huge in the dimness.

"That painting…" Ben turned to peer into the darkness toward the picture of a being done in black on one side and white on the other. "That is Je'di, the Halcyon, isn't it…? Not a literal portrait, but a depiction of his Force signature…"

"Half in darkness, half in light." Ko'da nodded. "It was Je'di who went on to form the Jedi Order who shunned the dark half of their nature."

"He created the imbalance in the Force that has lasted a thousand generations…" Ben shook his head. "In his desire to embrace only the purest parts of himself, he threw the Force into so much disarray that it had no choice but to create the Sith."

"Yes." Ko'da nodded. "Je'di's motives were pure, but the results…"

"Threw the galaxy into chaos for thousands of years." Rey whispered.


	52. Chapter 52

Ben rolled his shoulder, it still bothered him though the injury was fully healed during his and Rey's nearly month long convalescence on Kessel. He tapped away thoughtfully at the colorful keys displayed on the surface of the small steel desk in the horrendously uncomfortable yet spacious -for an Admiral's Quarters on a dreadnaught- room he and Rey shared aboard the Revenant.

Rey frowned at the display hanging in the air in front of her, reading the history of the Halcyon, she was halfway through her second book, reclining on a stack of thin hard pillows piled high at her back.

The terminal interface lenses they had been gifted, along with the matching computer terminal, might make it appear to anyone else as if the pair belonged in a padded cell, but they had increased both Jedi's productivity remarkably.

By the middle of the first chapter of the first translation Rey and Ben were both startled to find that their connection had strengthened to the point that he knew everything she read, and she knew everything he found as they worked together in utter silence. She read from the lengthy translations to broaden their understanding of the Halcyon even while he sifted through the com-net for every addition scrap of data he could find in the various communication databases spread across hundreds of millions of parsecs of space.

Neither had spent much time outside of their chamber since returning to the ship from Aaronia nearly two weeks ago. Intrigue bordering on obsession consumed them both. They felt an identical thirst for knowledge that could have been coming from either or both of them. The bond had grown so strong lately that even when they weren't actively sharing a conciousness they intensely felt the other's nuanced emotional and physical turmoils and pains.

Rey blinked rapidly to clear her display and looked over at her husband when she felt a swift change in his emotions. He was looking at her in a way that made her insides flutter.

She reached out to join her mind to his and slipped in easily. 'You look tired." He said gently into her mind.

'I am tired.' She responded.

'Your hip hurts.' He stated.

'As does your shoulder.' She replied.

'Hot shower?' He suggested.

'Might help.' She stood and crossed to the refresher, dropping her top in his lap as she passed.

The warmth and heady scent of her blouse worked to undermine his good intentions. He stood and dropped her shirt into his chair, adding his own there a moment later. He followed after her, kicking her britches out of the doorway to the shower stall and then tossing his own ontop of them.

He stepped into the spray of hot water and into the embrace of her arms and lips at the same time. His hand sought the pain her hip and kneaded it gently even as her's found his pain and did the same. Power threaded lazily through their scars, easing the pain until it was lost beneath other, much more pleasurable, sensations.

Rey called a squirt of Ben's soap into her palm and massaged it into his aching shoulder with firm rhythmic strokes as she caressed his tongue with hers. His soapy fingers dug at the pain her hip, soothing it even as the pain spiked and ebbed with each hard clench of his strong fingers.

The pain quickly receeded as their bodies responded hungrily to each other's touch.

She broke off their kiss and locked eyes with him as she sank to her knees. She called another glob of soap from the dispenser and began to massage the pain from his thigh. Her eyes drifted from his, slowly down his battle scarred torso. She frowned over the fact that she'd given him some of those scars herself. She placed her hands on his hips and tore her eyes from the puckered scar running across his collarbone to meet his eyes as she dipped her face to rub her cheek against the tip of his erection. Slowly, smoothly, she rubbed herself against it down to her neck, then her collarbone, tracing the path of the scar she had left on him. When she reached the spot above her right breast where his scar ended she shifted her body so that she trailed that sensitive bit of his flesh between her breasts, down her belly until she stood facing him, the proof of his desire for her throbbing against her belly.

Her erotic apology was not lost on her husband. She could feel as his heart swelled with sentiments he hadn't experienced in a long time. Gratitude. Humility. And something like a mix between pride and religious fervor that she knew was all about her.

She kissed the scar, licking warm water from it with each brush of her lips as she made her way along that reddened line from his chest to his brow, one kiss at a time. She didn't have to instruct him to bend down, he felt her wants and needs as if they were his own.

What she needed most at this point was to show him how grateful she was to have him. How much she loved and desired him. How much she cherished him. How incredibley thrilled she was to be the center of his universe. She reached out with her mind and turned off the steaming water.

Moments after the first time they had been together, he had covered her body in sweet, loving kisses and made her feel the capacity for tenderness that he possessed. Now, months later, she covered his body in hot little kisses, each featuring a darting flick of her tongue, making him feel every bit as loved and wanted as he had made her feel that long ago day.

He watched her intently as she worked her way down his torso, licking the drops of water from his skin, paying extra attention to his scars, and driving him half mad with that nimble little tongue of hers. She reached his hip bones and he felt her desire to have him to turn around.

She trailed her tongue along his side and lower back as he followed her wordless instruction, then kissed and licked her way to the nape of his neck, her hands roaming freely across his belly and chest.

He turned back toward her and leaned down to receive her feather light kisses on his face. She didn't use her tongue here, only her lips, as she kissed each feature of his beloved face, saving his full, sensual lips for last.

He didn't try to deepen the kiss, he could feel that she wasn't done yet.

She started back down his body, her hands roaming across his shoulders and back while she kissed, licked and nibbled her way down his front, sending tendrils of fire shooting through his veins as she drew nearer and nearer to her goal.

His breath caught in his throat with a strangled sound as she dug her fingers into his backside and slid her tongue boldly across the head of his engorged phallus. She sucked it into her mouth and stroked it again with her tongue, tasting the bead of salty smooth creaminess that proved his organ's appreciation for her attention. Holding him loosely between her lips she rotated her head, swirling her tongue, top, bottom and sides around the pulsing member as he burrowed his fingers into her wet hair. Her hands stroked down the backs of his thighs then up the front of them. She took his length in one hand and gently massaged his aching gonads with the other, all while she suckled and licked at his turgid manhood.

She could feel how close he was to climax and with a loud, squishy, sucking sound she removed her mouth from him and ducked her chin to lick across the surface of his sack. Once. Twice. Three strokes of her tongue before she ever-so-gently took one firm ball into her mouth and rolled her tongue around it before doing the same to it's twin.

He labored to breathe as she worshiped his gentitals with her mouth. Nearly every one of his harshly indrawn breaths was exhaled on a shuddering moan when she returned her mouth to his shaft. He knew she was keeping him on the brink of both climax and insanity on purpose, and he both wanted it to end immediately and to go on forever.

His legs threatened to give out on him so the pair shifted fluidly to allow him to lean back into the icy cold shower wall.

Their bodies and hair were nearly dry by the time she was ready to give him the release his mouth, mind, and body were shouting, and begging, for.

He had no strength left to stand so he slid down the wall as soon as she'd sucked the last drops of seed from his body. He could feel her unsatiated desire even over the force of her own tantric orgasm. He reached out and stroked her sweltering arousal with a tendril of Force energy.

He eyes shot open wide and he enlarged the tendril slipping it into her depths.

They'd never used their power so directly for such things, a part of her wanted to protest, but that and every other thought fled from her as he flexed and pulsed the tendril inside of her. Their eyes locked and she rocked back on her heels, the intensity in his deep brown eyes was nearly a mirror of the intensity of sensations pulsing throughout her feminine core.

He ratcheted up the power of his Force strokes and sent her writhing mindlessly on the floor, moaning and panting, begging and shouting, orgasming over and over until at last he could feel that her desire was fully spent, her hunger completely sated. He gathered her onto his lap and snuggled her close, their minds, bodies and energies entwined in an embrace so intimate that neither wanted to ever let go of this moment.

"Oh my Force!" Rey gasped and reread the passage on the digital page for a second time.

It had been days since they'd soothed each other's wounds with soapy Force enhanced massages, and Rey was working her way through the third and final Halcyon history translation that had been gifted to her and Ben by Ko'da the Aaronian. "Ben!" She gasped, commanding his full attention. "Read these three paragraphs."

He read the paragraphs and did a doubletake. "I… don't understand." He felt a bit dizzy. "How could that be…? We didn't perform any ritual."

"Snoke said he bridged our minds…" She insisted. "If he wasn't lying, then he probably did this."

Ben's mind was racing too fast to capture a thought. "Why? If he could do that he had to have known it was permanant."

"Is there any other possibility?" She asked rhetorically. "How did he get ahold of a piece of me though?" She mused.

Ben blanched.

"What?" Her head jerked slightly.

"Your hair…" His face reddened.

Her eyes narrowed. "You kept some of my hair?"

"You've felt what it was like for me to be near you." He mumbled, reddening further. "I… I was desperate to have something, anything, of you to hold onto."

"You showed me all of the time we were together, how did you not show me that?" She was confused.

"I did…" He finally looked at her. "Sort of." He played back the part of his memory where he'd strapped her to the interogation table on Star Killer. "There." He said. "Do you see it?"

In her minds eye she saw herself lying limply on the still horizontal table while his gloved hands smoothed her hair where it had rubbed loose against him while he'd carried her. "I see you fixing my hair…"

"It was messy." He shrugged. "I couldn't abide chaos unless I was the one causing it…"

"Ok, but, I don't see you stealing my hair." She frowned.

"I didn't steal it." He frowned. "I found it." He showed her the memory of coming back to find her gone.

His rage was overwhelming as his eyes fell on the empty table in that empty room. She had somehow managed to slip through his fingers.

How could he let this happen? How could he let this scavanger, this nobody from nowhere, out manuever him? His lightsaber lept into his hand and he attacked the offensively empty table with all of his boiling anger, disappointment, shame and fear.

He sliced the table into glowing slag with stroke after angry stroke as he mentally berated himself for being unable to hold onto such a valuable prisoner.

His master had sent him to fetch her, but there was no 'her' to fetch!

He would suffer for this!

His terror at the prospect of facing Snoke empty-handed had urged him on into destroying the entire room. When at last not a surface had been left in tact he stood panting amidst the destruction. He'd suffer for this too, he knew, but it was worth it to unleash his rage before confessing his failure.

The last time he had lost his temper during one of Snoke's verbal tirades had landed him in medbay with several broken ribs and a punctured lung from being Force crushed by the dark lord. He dreaded what this failure would cost him.

He crumpled to the floor, shaking. He had to find her. She couldn't have gone far, he'd only left her twenty minutes ago.

His eyes caught an odd golden glimmer against the polished black floor. He reached out and lifted a solitary strand of hair from amidst a jumble of still smoldering debris. The hair was dark, shot through with shimmering golden highlights, definitely not a strand of his black hair and far too long to belong to anyone else on the base… it had to be hers. He searched almost frantically around the rubble and found five more shimmering strands.

He didn't know why but something inside him needed for him to hold onto these tiny fragments of her. Carefully, almost tenderly, he smoothed the strands together, folded them, tied them into a tiny figure 8 and tucked them into his glove. He could almost feel her nearby as he rose to his feet and set off to look for her.

Rey's eyes were leaking long before the memory ended. "I didn't know he hurt you like that…" Her heart thumped painfully in her chest and she wrapped her arms around him, laying her head against his chest. "I'm so sorry that happened to you."

"I'm not." He held her tightly. "I wouldn't be standing here if my life had been different in any way." He kissed the top of her head. "Every bit of it was worth going through to wind up here," His voice bacame a caress, "With you."


	53. Chapter 53

Rey frowned as she woke slowly in the darkness. Ben clutched her to him, his arms nearly tight enough to constrict her breathing. She'd grown used to that over the time they'd spent together, he always held her as if his unconcious mind feared waking up to find her gone. No, that wasn't what woke her. She decided. There was no way to wriggle out of his grasp without waking him so she didn't bother trying.

Suddenly her belly heaved, tightening into a ball so fiercely that it seemed to shrink several inches. She frowned down at it and rubbed the rock-hard mound. It was curious that no pain accompanied the contraction, but she figured that to be a good thing. Her frown faded into a dreamy smile. She'd be holding her babies in her arms soon, she knew, and the thought made her too happy to experience this alone.

"Ben," She whispered into the darkness, stroking the back of his hand where it gripped her shoulder. "Wake up."

"Hmm?" He hummed, nuzzling her hair, still mostly asleep.

"You've got to feel this." She said quietly.

He smiled softly and kissed the top of her head.

The contraction released slowly.

In his befuddled, sleepy state Ben hadn't even noticed the pressure in her belly until it began to receed. His eyes jerked open.

"Oh, you missed it." She frowned and wriggled free of his embrace to scoot away from him enough to see his face.

"Was that…" His eyes were huge in the low light. "What was that?"

"A contraction." She smiled beautifically. "Wait a bit, it'll do it again."

"Are you in labor?" He jerked upright, excitement mingled with fear radiating off of him.

"I don't think so." She rubbed her tummy. "Doctor Guiness warned me that this would happen when the time drew near."

He placed one hand lightly on the enormous mound of her stomach where his daughters seemed to be tap-dancing on her ribs. His hand followed hers as they drew circles with their palms across the swollen expanse that was plenty big enough for several more hands to rub.

"Oh!" He gasped as the mound hardened, rounding into a tight ball. "I can feel that!" His amazement shined like a beacon in his shadowed eyes.

The lights in the room brightened enough to see clearly by, though not enough to hurt their eyes.

"Oh my, that's…" He trailed off as another thought struck him. "That feels like it's happening inside me, too."

"I know." She smiled. "Isn't it wild?"

"If I can feel that…" He gazed at her with horror. "Am I going to feel…" He swallowed. The thought was too scarey to speak out loud.

She frowned. "Maybe."

The contraction dissipated.

He slipped into her mind. 'Just making sure I'm feeling it as much as you are.' He thought, his heart in his throat.

'It wont be so bad.' She smiled up at him and shifted to a more comfortable position, facing him but half on her back and half on her side.

Another moment passed before her belly tightened again. This time a bit of pain, like a hunger cramp, accompanied the pressure.

'Oh! That hurts a little.' His nervousness ratcheted up a notch.

'It didn't before.' She frowned back. 'Don't worry, this is perfectly normal.' She tried to sooth his nerves. 'I'm not due to deliver for two more weeks.'

He let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding as her belly relaxed. 'I was two weeks early.'

'You were?' She asked mildly.

"Yeah." He switched to verbal. "Mother never failed to mentioned that when she was mad at me." He rolled his eyes and mimicked a falsetto, "If you'd have just waited that extra two weeks I'd have had time to set your nursery up in my office and your dad wouldn't have been able to let you roll off the sofa." He switched back to his own voice. "When I was little she always blamed my mischievious streak on hitting my head as a baby... To my face anyway."

"That's terrible!" Rey recoiled in horror.

He shrugged. "I'm sure she didn't mean it like it was my fault… My parents fought a lot."

"Well, we wont." She promised as another, slightly more uncomfortable contraction constricted her middle. "Oh, these are starting to hurt."

He knew that fact intimately.

"If that's what she said to your face, what did she say behind your back?" Rey seized on his wording, looking for anything to distract her from the rapidly intensifying pain in her abdomen.

"That she could feel the darkness inside me." He rubbed his own belly with one hand and hers with the other. "That she was afraid I'd turn to the darkside someday."

"Well," Rey wiped a trickle of sweat off her temple. "She wasn't wrong about that."

"No," He agreed, panting slightly, "She wasn't wrong about that."

They chatted through several more contractions, each more painful than the last before finally they could ignore the rhythmic pains no more.

"I think it's time to visit the infirmary." Ben ground out through clenched teeth as another contraction tore through their bond and felt like it was ripping his guts out through his navel.

"This will probably be over soon." She panted. "Maybe it'll help if I walk a little."

She took a deep breath as the pain subsided and lurched to her feet. Around and around she paced, pausing briefly at the summit of each painful constriction in her womb.

After about the tenth one during her pacing, Ben was ashen, trembling and panting as he groaned, "It isn't going away!"

Rey didn't want to admit it, but he was right. "Alright," She gasped. "Let's go see Doctor Guiness."

The pair walked slowly, pausing every thirty steps or so to clutch at their middles, toward the ship's medical facility. "Who's idea was it to put the medbay so far from the officers quarters?" She groaned, leaning heavily against a wall trying to recover from a pain like a hammer blow that had just slammed into her pelvic bone.

Ben nearly choked as the same sensation slammed into him. He'd once been kicked in the crotch so hard by Snoke, during lightsaber training, that he'd thought for sure his pelvis was broken... this hurt worse than that.

"I don't care what they say, you're getting drugs as soon as we get there." He panted while the pain slowly receeded.

"I don't want drugs." Rey insisted.

"Tough." He groaned and took her arm to continue their slow plod toward the infirmary. "You're getting them anyway."

"Are you seriously telling me that you can't handle this?" She groaned as another contraction doubled them both over.

"Yes, I am." His reply sounded a lot like a wimper.

When the pain passed he took her arm again and said vehemently, "If this part feels like this, I don't want to know what the next part feels like."

He glared at her when a ripple of amusement washed over him from her direction. "It's not funny." He grated out.

"It kind of is…" She grinned up at him. "You've been shot, cut, beaten, had broken ribs, a punctured lung and the Force only knows what else… yet you can't handle the pain of childbirth." She giggled a little even as another contraction gripped her insides like a Force fist made of hot coals.

"I thought you said that's not what this is?" He panted around the pain.

"I'm pretty sure I was wrong." She panted back.


	54. Chapter 54

The kindly faced Dr. Guiness swept into the isolation cell in the emergency unit of the Revenant's medbay and stopped to gape at the pair of Jedi. Rey was wearing the little plastic-backed paper gown of a patient, sitting on the edge of the narrow hospital bed apparently meditating while her husband, in black britches and a matching undershirt writhed and groaned in obvious agony on the floor by her feet.

"Doc!" Ben gasped. "Give her drugs! Lots of drugs!"

The doctor raised one brow at the man he'd once treated for a punctured lung and six broken ribs without a drop of anesthetic. "I take it you can feel what she's going through?"

The pain receeded enough for Ben to clamber to his feet. "Every bit of it." He panted.

The doctor grinned unapologetically. "I knew there had to be an upside to not being a Jedi." He turned to Rey. "How long has this been going on?"

"About four hours," She answered, somewhat abashed. "But it didn't hurt at first, the pain has only been bad for about half that time."

"You should have come as soon as the pain became intollerable." He chided her lightly. "Lie back, put your feet in the stirrups." He instructed as he donned a pair of gloves. "I need to see how far you've progressed."

She did as instructed as soon as she could after yet another contraction receeded.

"Well, well," The doctor mused and settled himself on a stool between her legs. "That wasn't long between contractions."

"No, they're coming pretty fast and hard now." She said, trying her best to not let her mortification at this utterly embarrassing position show.

Ben took her hand in his and thought, mostly to himself, 'He has to check on the babies, it's nothing to feel uncomfortable about.'

"Aaah, I see!" The doctor stood up and stripped off his gloves. "You, little lady, are definitely about to deliver your babies. I'll have the operating room prepped."

"Operating room?" They both asked, frowning.

"We don't deliver twins the old fashioned way, too many risks." The doctor smiled a toothy grin at Ben. "Relax, she's getting those drugs you want so badly."

"Well, how far along is she?" Ben groaned around another contraction, trying his damnedest not to scream or wind up back on the floor.

"Dialated to eight." Dr. Guiness called breezily and left them alone.

Several agonizing contractions later a droid rolled in with a giant hypodermic needle clasped in it's pincher-like hand. "Congratulations. I am MD978, I have come to administer your pain relieving agent." The droid did a triple take at the couple in the room. The obviously pregnant human appeared to be in far less pain than the male human. "Which of you requires this?"

Ben was crumpled to his knees, holding his abdomen and his breath, but he pointed to Rey. "She does!" He gasped. "Hurry!"

Rey was back to sitting on the narrow bed, her eyes shut and a rather serene look on her face as she meditated through the pain.

"Madam, if you'll present me with your spine I will gladly alleviate your pain." The droid said in it's unemotional electronic voice.

The contraction passed and Rey turned to recieve the medication.

"Please lie down now, this will make you go very numb and you may fall." The droid instructed then left without bothering to see if she complied.

Rey settled back onto the bed and waited. She was good at waiting. She'd been waiting for someone most of her life, her parents, Ben, her children.

The next contraction didn't really hurt much, but Ben reacted as if it did. She frowned. Another two contractions went by and she didn't feel a thing… but he did.

"Hello!" A chipper woman about Rey's age swept into the room, smiling broadly. "I'm Krysta and I have come to take you to the operating room!"

"No!" Rey barked as Ben squirmed painfully in the hard plastic chair next to her bed. "I need to see Doctor Guiness, right away!"

"He's waiting for you in the operating room." Krysta smiled patiently.

"You don't understand, I can't have surgery." Rey insisted as the nurse released the brakes on her bed.

"Oh, I know it's scarey." The pretty brunette made a sympathetic face.

"It isn't that!" Rey's frustration boiled over. "Look at him!" She pointed to Ben.

"Bad seafood?" Krysta smiled, unconcerned.

"No, you twit! He can feel what my body is going through!" She felt remorse at her mean spirited rubuke, but not enough to apologize. "The drugs only worked on me!"

"Oh," The slightly offended nurse, smiled towards Ben. "It must be wonderful to have such a sympathetic husband, but I can assure you, he doesn't actually feel anything."

Rey slammed the girl away from her bed with a blast of Force. "Get Guiness, now!" She demanded.

The frightened nurse only nodded and ran out of the room.

Several contractions later the white bearded doctor stepped into the room.

"Doc, you can't cut into me, he can still feel everything." Rey said before the doctor could even ask.

The doctor's mouth fell open, his eyes wide as he glanced from Jedi to Jedi.

Ben was beyond writhing, it didn't help anyway. Neither did screaming or holding his breath. So he just lay there, half in the chair and half out of it, panting and groaning in agony as his entire pelvis felt like it had been crushed and now someone was kicking him in it.

The doctor didn't say a word, he turned around and left the room at a sprint.

Rey's shock was palpable as she watched him go but her relief was immense when he returned moments later with another MD droid bearing a big needle. "Perfect!" She grinned.

It took only moments for the drugs to kick in and for Ben to lose all sensation from his ribcage down.

He sighed in relief and kissed Rey's hand.

"I need to check you again." The doctor frowned. "When did your water break?"

"My water broke?" Rey looked down but all she saw was belly.

The doctor strapped her ankles into the stirrups and took a step backwards. "Oh, that's not good." He said and rushed over to the door to cry out for assistance.

Ben tried to stand but his couldn't find his legs. "What's not good?" His voice was bordering on hysterical.

"One of the babies is crowning." The doctor answered, tying on a protective smock.

He pulled on a pair of gloves and sat down on the stool between Rey's uplifted legs. "Looks like you're getting that non-surgical delivery after all." He told her.

Two MD droids followed Krysta the nurse into the room pushing a cart full of devices and instruments between them.

Ben had never been so happy to be so tall - as he was in this moment while confined to the chair by the numbness in his legs. He leaned in and stroked the side of her face with his free hand, his other hand clutching hers against his pounding heart.

"Alright, mommy, give me a push… start slow and work your way up until I say otherwise." Guiness instructed. "Good, you're doing great... a little more…"

Rey's heart was thundering in her chest, though she couldn't feel any pain her nervousness at the prospect of being a mother was overwhelming. A thousand doubts passed through her mind as she pushed and pushed.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, you're going to be an awesome mother." He kissed her hand as, in a low voice, he answered her doubts. "If you can handle me, then two little girls should be easy." He stroked her hair. "How could they possibly not love you? You made me love you when you weren't even trying."

"Ok! We have a head. Relax a minute." Dr. Guiness said, working industriously at clearing the baby's airway. "Alright, one or two good pushes should do for the shoulders, whenever you're ready."

"We have a baby!" The doctor's voice was laden with happiness. He clipped the cord and cut it then handed the bloody squirming infant off to the nurse. Krysta placed the baby on the waiting warming table and rubbed it with a cleaning rag before wrapping it in a square of bright white cloth and handing it off to Rey.

"She's beautiful!" The young woman beamed placing the baby in her mother's arms.

"Take a minute to enjoy her then pass her off to her daddy so we can introduce you to her sister." The doctor said warmly.

Rey gazed down at the wrinkly red face peeking out of the cloth. The baby was staring up at her intently. "She has your stare." She chuckled, tilting the newborn toward Ben. "And black hair."

Ben could hardly see his daughter through the tears cascading from his eyes. "She's beautiful." He reached out and touched the baby's cheek gently.

"Alright, It's show time." The doctor called. "Give her to dad."

Ben recieved his daughter eagerly and craddled her against his heart. He unwrapped the blanket and stroked the back of her tiny hand while she grasped his finger with surprising strength. "Ani." He cooed. "This one is Ani."

Rey turned her head to look at her family and was overwhelmed by the love radiating from her husband.

"Ok, mama, push." The doctor instructed.

Rey followed the doctor's instructions through her second delivery and recieved her younger daughter eagerly.

"Oh!" She gasped in shock. "I thought they were Identicals?" This baby looked like the other in all but one way, it's headful of downy hair was snowy white.

"They have the same DNA…" The doctor said, still working between Rey's legs. "So, yeah, they're identicals."

"But… they don't match." Rey stroked the soft hair that was causing her confusion.

"Baby hair is weird, it'll even out over time, just wait and see." Krysta said, unconcerned.

Ben and Rey gazed at one another, each with a baby held gently against their heart. 'We're a family now... You, me, Ani, and Ami.' Rey smiled a dewy smile, her eyes as soft as her daughters' hair.

'Now and forever.' Ben's eyes and smile were just as soft as his wife's when he thought his reply to her.


	55. Chapter 55

The next month passed in a blur of diaper changes, wardrobe changes, and around the clock feedings. Rey insisted on feeding her daughters from her own breast though Ben insisted that formula was just as good. They found a workable compromise after the first week, night-time feedings, they agreed, would alternate, one on the breast, the other on a bottle.

Ben could hardly contain all of the gooey, sickly sweet emotions he experienced everytime he held one of his little girls and fed her from the tiny glass bottle Rey had relented and let him acquire.

He cuddled the white-haired Ami to his chest and drank in her beautiful little face as she sucked greedily at the formula. "I think they look more like you." He said, his voice husky with both sleep and emotion. "Everyday they get more and more beautiful."

"They have your eyes." She switched Ani to her other breast. "And this one has your temper too!" She smiled as Ani bellowed her displeasure at having her meal interupted.

"Hmm," He hummed. "Yeah, they kind of do have my eyes, but that nose is yours, thank the Force."

"If you're going to thank the Force, thank it for giving them my ears." She teased.

He grinned at her. "I do that everytime I look at them."

He'd always disliked his ears, they were the reason he wore his hair long and shaggy. As a child he'd been teased mercilessly about both his ears and his nose, but mostly his ears. It wasn't that his ears were particularly large, just that they stuck out quite far.

"Do you suppose they'll have your long face or my square one?" Rey wondered, gazing down at her ravenhaired baby as it suckled at her breast.

"Hopefully all they'll get from me is the eyes." He said then kissed Ami's baby soft forehead. Her tiny eyes, so like his own, opened to stare at him with an unsettlingly pensive look. "I wonder what she's thinking when she looks at me like that." He mused. Though he could possibly find the answer to that easily through the Force, he had been the one to insist that they never enter their daughters' minds uninvited.

"She's probably thinking how lucky she is to have such a loving, sweet, and handsome daddy." Rey sent him a dreamy look.

"Well…" He blushed. "Loving anyway."

Rey sighed. "You're terrible at taking compliments."

"Am I?" He glanced up at her.

"Yes, you are." She said matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry." He frowned slightly. "Nobody has ever called me sweet or handsome before."

"Well…" It was her turn to frown. "Maybe because you never showed anybody how sweet you are and they were too terrified of you to see how beautiful you are."

"Or maybe you love me so much you only think I'm good looking when in reality I'm not." He countered while he set the empty bottle down, shifted Ami to his shoulder and rubbed her back.

"Nonsense." She said dismissively. "I thought you were gorgeous long before I even liked you."

"Oh, really?" He was genuinely surprised by that revelation.

"How do you not know that?" She asked, bemused.

"I've never looked at your early opinions of me," He shrugged. "Why would I when you made your dislike so abundantly clear in those days?"

"Well, you should look." She smiled. "You might be surprised at what you see."

He peered at her over the head of his peacefully sleeping daughter. "I don't want to."

She frowned. "You already know the worst of it, why not see the rest?"

"I could barely stand your hatred the first time around." He lowered the baby to the matress in front of him. "I don't care to ever feel it again."

"Hmm…" She thought about that for a moment. "Alright, I'll only show you the good bits then." She removed her nipple from Ani's mouth and laid her next to her twin on the bed in front of their father.

She slipped into his mind and played the memory of the first time she'd seen his face.

Her mind blanked for a second as his face appeared from behind his ugly metal mask. She'd been expecting a monster, misshapen, old, or ugly beyond belief, but she was shocked to find that her captor was none of those things. No, he was an ordinary looking man only a few years older than herself.

Her eyes darted down his body and back to his face.

'Maybe ordinary isn't quite the right word,' she corrected herself.

There was nothing ordinary to the shape and tilt of his eyes, the fullness of his red lips, the sharpness of his cheekbones and jawline… no, he wasn't ordinary at all. His face was thin and on the long side but so was the rest of him. And that hair! She felt an insane urge to touch it, to see if it was as soft and silky as it looked.

A strange flutter began deep down in her belly. He spoke and the timber of his voice sent vibrations through her bones.

'No,' she decided firmly, 'this man isn't ordinary in any way... He's spectacular even if he is terrifying.'

"See?" She asked. "It wasn't all bad."

"Hmmm…" He tilted his head at her. "You didn't know what the feeling in your belly was."

"I'd never felt that before." She shrugged.

A slow smile spread across his face.

"What?" She asked.

"You'd never been aroused before?" He grinned.

"Well, no." She shook her head. "You know what my life was like before I met you." She turned the tables on him. "I take it you had been aroused before?"

He shrugged. "I am pretty ordinary."

She frowned. "Should I be jealous?"

He snorted. "Of normal male hormones? Nah."

"No girls ever caught your eye?" She pressed.

"You're the only girl I've ever known well enough to be attracted to." He shrugged. "I don't know if you've noticed, but there weren't many women in the First Order, and the ones who were there were usually more manly looking than I am."

"But you weren't…" She thought back over his memories of their first meetings, paying attention to his body rather than his emotions. "Oh, you were."

He chuckled. "Why exactly did you think I kept moving off or turning away to where I knew you couldn't see me?"

"To intimidate me." She answered honestly.

"I stopped wanting to intimidate you the moment I laid eyes on you." His lips puckered a little. "I was actually trying to *not* intimidate you."

"Well, it didn't work." She said in a way that was not without humor.

"I know." He bit his bottom lip. "But it would have been worse if you'd have noticed that too."

"I wouldn't have known what it meant if I had noticed." She shrugged. "I had no idea what those looked like or how they actually worked until... Well, you know." She sent him a mental image of their first time together.

He groaned. "Please, don't do that."

"Sorry." She wasn't really.

"A month and a half feels like forever." He sighed. "And we're not even close to the end yet."

"Hmmm. Well, we could put the little ones in their bed and work on figuring something out to help with that." She said slyly.

He hessitated for only a seconds before he jumped off the bed and scooped up the closest baby, depositing her in the nearby crib before repeting the process. As soon as Ani was settled next to Ami he turned and dove back into the bed. With a wolfish grin he said, "You were saying?"

She couldn't help herself, she busted out laughing.

Rey's amusement made him glad he'd opted for the silly route. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd made someone laugh so heartily, if he ever had. She didn't laugh often, but each time she did it stroked his soul like a cool breeze against sweaty skin on a balmy day.

He was well aware of the fact that he wasn't allowed to physically make love to her, not even gently, because she was still healing from having given birth to their children. That fact did not, however, prevent him from wanting to. Constantly. Every waking moment. And in his dreams as well.

It was a sad irony of life, he'd realized early on during this medically imposed celebacy, that when two lonely souls become a real family and experienced what that truly felt like for the first time, with their emotional intimacy reaching never before dreamed of heights… they were completely unable to share that intimacy in a physical way.

"I was saying…" Rey recovered from her startled laughter at his lighthearted antics and slanted him a fiery look then reached out and stroked his bare chest with the backs of her knuckles. "That I love you." She flattened her palm against his heart.

Ben could feel her hand on his chest, it didn't move, yet he could also feel it sliding down across his belly. He looked down in shock. Her hand was indeed still pressed against his rapidly accelerating heart.

His eyes darted back to hers.

Rey had a look of intense concentration in her eyes, her bottom lip clamped between her teeth, and a hunger boiling in the air all around her.

His breath caught in his throat.

A second invisible hand stroked through his hair.

A third caressed his face.

He was awed as she stroked his skin with more and more invisible tendrils of pure, raw, Force. Awed, and very turned on.

She dialed up the intensity of her Force hands until she could feel that they felt hot against his skin.

Ben's skin tingled with energy everywhere she touched with fiery tendrils of Force energy. They were moving and writhing against him in such a way that he couldn't keep a count of them, but he could feel how much effort she was exerting to work each one independantly.

While he appreciated her efforts, and enjoyed them tremendously, he frowned.

'You don't understand.' He whispered into her mind. 'It isn't my gratification that I'm after.'

She withdrew her hand from his chest and looked at him with hurt shining in her eyes. 'You don't like it?'

'You know better than that.' He stroked her cheek with one unsteady hand. 'You can feel how much I like it.' He took her hand in his and kissed it. 'But I'm not the one who's unable to be touched right now.'

Her eyes widened as she felt a hot tendril of energy lick across the skin of her neck.

'There is no satisfaction for me if you aren't satisfied.' Another lick of hot, tingling energy ran up her inner thigh.

'It isn't my pleasure I dream of.' His voice in her head was low and slow, it licked at her veins just as his invisible carasses licked at her skin. An icy tendril slid up her spine followed by a hot one a heartbeat later.

Rey began to tremble.

He sat up and took both of her hands in his, kissing each even while he licked fire and ice across the skin of her nipples. 'It isn't an orgasm I want.'

He added another set of tendrils, one hot and one cold, they chased each other across the scar under her breast, then around the sensitive peak while his other set did the same to her left.

'It's you I want.' He leaned down and licked the dripping milk from her nipples with his tongue, first one then the other.

'To make love to.' He ran his tongue up to her neck and nuzzled her there while his tendrils stroked their way down her body.

"To pleasure." He whispered throatily against her ear as his icy and hot fingers of energy slipped between her folds and licked at her clit.

She melted back into the pillows with a moan of pure need and began to squirm against his pulsating touch.

He shifted so that her entire bare upper body was within reach of his mouth. He blazed a white hot trail of kisses and licks from her neck to the waistband of the shortpants she had taken to wearing to bed since the babies' arrival.

'To be one with.' The swirling, pulsing tendrils slipped into the very place he longed to be inside of but was forbidden to touch for another couple of weeks.

His mouth captured hers to prevent her impassioned cries from waking the nearby, sleeping infants.

'It's you.' He covered her body with his, settling between her thighs.

'Only you.' He rubbed the rock hard length of his erection against her even as she grinded her cloth covered heat against him.

'All of you.' The pulsating tendrils flexed erratically, and he added another hot tendril to stroke at her clit, then another to stroke at her bottom.

Rey was drowning in sensations, both corporeal and incorporeal. Her entire body was throbbing to the rhythm of his hips as he slid his massively engorged cock against her with maddeningly slow strokes while he plundered her depths with tongues of flaming energy. She'd never felt so many pleasurable sensations inside her own body and yet it built and built, refusing to release.

The thin tendril tickling at her backside suddenly slipped inside, causing her eyes to shoot open in shock at the sensation. Her startled eyes locked with his intensely focused ones.

A bead of sweat dripped off the tip of his nose and landed on hers. That tiny drop of water washed over her like an ocean of realization.

Her pleasure lay in his pleasure as much as his lay in hers.

A dizzying surge of power crackled between them and she reached out to stroke him with her own tendrils of Force energy.

His flushed, sweaty face twisted into a bared-teeth grimace as she slipped a wide, thin tendril of Force between them to twine around his tormented sex and pulsated it in time with the rhythm of his hips.

'It isn't an orgasm I want either,' She whispered into his mind and sent hot flames licking over his skin.

'It's you.' She leaned up and captured his mouth with hers.

'Only you.' She dug her fingertips into the rigid muscles of his back.

'All of you.' She wrapped her legs around him, her knees high up on his ribs while her heels dug into his backside, urging him to go faster.

She tore her mouth from his to whisper in his ear, "Your pleasure." Then licked him from the base of his jaw to his earlobe which she sucked into her mouth and nibbled briefly before returning to his lips.

'Your discomfort.' She ran her hands down his back and squeezed his buttocks almost painfully.

'Your anxiety.' She stroked between his glutes with a tendril of Force causing a ripple of shock to shoot through him.

'Your confusion.' She wriggled the tendril against him suggestively and felt his mind and body react in opposition to each other.

'Your trust.' She withdrew the tendril and stroked it down the back of his thigh.

'Your lust.' She rolled them over until she was straddling him then dismounted and looked around.

A bottle of mineral oil lept into her hand from his bedside table and a slow grin spread across her face. 'I need *you* inside me, not your Force fingers.'

Realization dawned on him then and Ben gaped at his wife.

His heart was nearly jumping out of his chest as he stripped off his own sleeping pants.

'Not here, though.' She hopped off the bed and beckoned him to follow her. 'We'll wake the girls.'

Nervous energy zinging through his body like lightening bolts he followed her to the shower.

'Hop in, I'll only be a minute.' She said handing him the oil and heading over to the commode to take care of a necessary task.

Her own nerves became jittery as she removed her shorts and protective underthings to dispose of the latter and clean herself up a bit. Giving birth is a messy business that doesn't get any cleaner for quite some time afterwards.

She stepped into the shower and hessitated.

They stood looking at each other for a long moment neither completely sure about this. Both desperate for the physical intimacy they'd been denied for far too long.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked, though he could feel her nervousness as keenly as his own. "It's only a few more weeks… we could always do the same as the last time we were in here."

"The last time was nice…" She acknowledged. "But I want you." Stepping up to him she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Only you." She wanted to make love with him, just him, no Force tricks, no analogues… him.

He understood her meaning and let go of his doubts.

The passion simmering between them, that had been stoked to near inferno levels minutes earlier, erupted again as if it had not been put on hold at all.

From the moment their lips met all thoughts, all feelings, all sensations - other than what they were feeling for and from each other - ceased to exist. Their universe shrank to only what existed inside the confines of the shower walls. Only each other and the sensations they were both feeling as if they were a single organism, one mind, one heart, one soul and one body.

Rey twined her fingers through the slippery, wet, hair at the back of his head and slid her mouth from his. She tugged at his hair and trailed kisses along the underside of his upraised chin then loosened her grip to trace the contours of his shoulders and chest.

Despite the hot water raining down on her, Rey's skin was covered in chill bumps by the time she'd made it halfway down the column of his throat. She could feel her lips on his skin as if it were her own skin being caressed by his lips. At the same time she could feel what her lips, tongue, and teeth felt like to him as they kissed, licked and nibbled their way to the hollow at his collarbone and back up to his ear.

Ben was too blown away at first by the intensity of what Rey was feeling to even register the sensation of a pair of phantom hands clutching at his hips, massaging with the same tempo as the ravenous caresses of her mouth against his skin. He slid his hands up her sides and flinched at the tickle that ran up his own flanks. His seeking hands found her aching, heavy, breasts and he shuddered at the full realization that the feeling of phantom hands on his flesh was a very intense echo of what he was making her feel.

Though they had felt their caresses and emotions reverberate through their bond everytime they had ever made love, the intensity of this physical sensation echo had never been anywhere near this strong. The only time it had ever felt this intense had been while she'd been in labor.

He pulled away from her and took a step back, staring her in near horror.

She didn't need to ask why. Their minds were so deeply embedded into each other's that she may as well have had the thoughts herself.

She didn't bother to speak or think any particular thing, she looked him dead in the eye and dared him with her eyes, face, and body... her very essence challenged him to come back to her... and begged him, too.

She reached her hand out toward him. For a moment they stared into each other's eyes, panting, while the Force between them roiled and heaved with their emotional turmoil.

His deep brown eyes flicked to her hand then back to her unwaivering gaze. A memory tugged at the back of his mind. He had once held his hand toward her in much the same way. Begging her to love him.

She hadn't been ready to put her trust in him then.

He took a deep shuddering breath, clasped her hand, pulled her to him with a quick jerk and pillaged her mouth with his own. His hands clamped her ribs in an iron grip and he lifted her up until his mouth could easily access her throat and breasts.

She wrapped her legs around his ribs and held on tight as he devoured every inch of her that his mouth could touch.

His hands slid to her bottom and massaged her firm cheeks. He turned so that her back was braced against the wall, her weight supported by her legs around his middle. He reached out and caught a palm full of oil, losing no time he rubbed the chilly liquid against her bottom. Their mutual desperation didn't allow for hessitation or misgivings, she needed to feel him inside her. He rubbed the viscous liquid against her cheek, massaging it into her skin as he called a second palmfull into his other hand. This oil he slathered between her cheeks before massaging the oil that remained on his hand into her other cheek.

He took a momentary break from suckling at her breast to look into her eyes as his fingertip pressed into the unyeilding portal between her cheeks.

The sensation was as foreign as an alien language, though not exactly unpleasant. He withdrew his fingertip and inserted it again with slightly more ease.

Rey jerked his head back with a fistfull of hair and attacked his mouth ravenously with her own.

The force of her hunger urged him on, battering through his wall of discomfort. He slipped his finger deeper into her and squirmed from the sensation it sent through his body.

He could feel her desperation as keenly as she could feel his reluctance, but he could also feel her resolve to wait for him, no matter how long it took.

Shaking from head to toe Ben silently urged her to let go of him with her legs and then assisted her slow, sensual slide down his body to her feet. He pulled back to gaze into her eyes solemnly for a moment.

The eyes staring back at him were full of hunger, need, and so much love he nearly drowned in them.

Rey's lips twitched and she rubbed herself languidly against him as she turned around. Her head swiveled to meet his eyes over her shoulder. She wriggled her lower body against him, sending shivers up his spine.

His eyes stayed locked on hers as he called more oil into his palm, and she purred a low throaty moan as his hand stroked the oil into the velvety silkiness of his own skin.

He took a deep calming breath and bent down to kiss the ridge of her shoulder, his hands sliding around to cup her full, heavy breasts. He leaned into her, pushing her slightly forward with his chest. His feet splayed apart, coming to rest on the outsides of hers, his toes next to her heels. His oiled length found the channel that it was meant to explore- of it's own accord. Prolonging the moment just a bit more he rubbed along the divide in slow deliberate strokes.

She made an impatient sound and he could feel how his delay was starting to frustrate her beyond what could be considered pleasurable. He positioned the glistening tip of his erection at the entrance of her body and felt the pressure in his own bottom as well as hers as he gently pushed toward her with his hips.

The pressure built but he made no headway. He frowned and reached for the bottle to drizzle some oil at the spot where their bodies were struggling to connect. Using his hand he drew the oil around that spot with the tip of his member and pressed a little harder toward her. He could feel her beginning to open for him, and though his own body remained thankfully closed he could feel it as if his own body was receiving this excrutiatingly slow invasion. Millimeter by millimeter he entered her until his whole tip was surrounded by the almost painfully tight embrace of her body. He stopped and took a few shuddering breaths.

This sensation wasn't quite like having a lone finger probing around in the virgin territory of his own body. No, this was something different. Something that was neither pleasure nor pain, but somehow pleasurably naughty none the less. He felt her relax around him slightly and crept into her another inch. A groan tore from his throat as he withdrew that inch shocked by the ripple of pleasure that shot through his entire pelvis. He clenched his teeth and leaned into her tenatively, sliding another inch into her incredibly tight sheath.

The friction on his cock was almost unbearable, the pleasant pressure in his ass even more-so. He withdrew to the tip again, a purring moan ripping from both of their throats simultaniously. He blew out a few harsh breaths and squirted more oil along the top of his shaft before pressing back in even deeper this time. Each withdrawl ripped a moan from his throat, each slow, gentle thrust forced him to clench his teeth at the overwhelming sensation of both penetrating and being penetrated until finally he was buried hilt deep inside of her.

He paused and took a moment to breathe while he adjusted to the sensations occuring in both of their bodies. He bent forward and slid his hands over her aching breasts, rubbing them, molding them with his palms even as he nibbled at the sensitive flesh of her neck. With a gentle pressure he guided her into a more upright position so he could more easily access the sensations that were comfortably familiar to him.

He took his time stoking her -and his- arousal to a fevered pitch with his oil-soaked hands and seeking mouth.

She rocked against him, sending raw physical pleasure through them both.

He withdrew several inches from her body, then glided smoothly back in, gasping from the seering pleasure of the movement. He buried his face into the side of her neck and withdrewl almost completely before thrusting fully into her again. The duality of the sensation tore a near scream from his throat. His teeth clamped down on her shoulder to stifle the sound.

'Ouch.' Her mind voice broke the silence between them.

'I'm so sorry.' Even his mind voice was straining.

'It's ok.' She assured him. 'We both knew this wasn't going to be simple or painless.'

'It feels so good and so wrong and somehow so right all at once.' He blurted, completely befuddled by the contradictory feelings.

'I feel it, too.' She reminded him gently then rolled her hips, a wordless plea to continue.

He withdrew and thrust back inside more quickly this time, sending pleasure spiralling through them both with dizzying intensity.

Shedding the last of his inhibitions completely in light of the physical enjoyment he was receiving he began to work his hips in a moderately slow tempo which picked up both speed and intensity until they were both unabashedly crying out their pleasure with every breath.

It had taken him a while to adjust to the sensation of being penetrated, but now that he had - he had to admit- it felt as good as the sensation of penetrating.

Ben could feel how close they both were to climax but a part of him wasn't ready for it to end, he gritted his teeth and slowed his pace a little, gentling his thrusts.

His fingers slipped into the nest of downy hair at the apex of her thighs and sought out the swollen nub just inside her bloodslickened lips. He rocked his hips against her and rubbed her clit with deliberately teasing fingers.

He felt those caresses as if they were being given to the sensitized flesh at the end of his throbbing member. Along with all of the other sensations it nearly made him lose control then and there.

'Let go, love.' She encouraged. 'It doesn't have to last forever, we can do it again.'

Her words snapped the last thread that he'd been holding on by.

Rey felt his control slip and thanked the Force as he threw caution to the wind and began to slam into her with his unrestrained passion. This was how she liked him best. Wild. Untamed. Mindlessly out of control.

Rey gave herself over to the inferno raging between them and joined him in wild abandon. Though they did sometimes make slow, tender, sweet love, that wasn't what her body or her soul needed right now.

No, right now she needed her husband. All of him, not just his gentle side... she needed his fire, his darkness, his hunger… his everything.

Ben gave it willingly, happily, eagerly…

His cum squirted into her hot and forcefully but other than bellowing his pleasure savagely into the echoing room he didn't acknowledge it. His frantic passion ignited the last remnants of her concious mind and she shouted her own release over and over as first red, then pink, then clear ejaculant shot from her womb and rain down the drain between her feet.

Over and over she came, screaming at the top of her lungs while his roars of pleasure mingled with hers. This was their lovesong... their soul to soul lovemaking… wild and free… passion unleashed... an inferno that consumed them both yet from it's ashes they rose to even higher peaks.

It could have been eternity or it could have been a heartbeat before they shouted their final screams of pleasure and collapsed, trembling and spent, to the floor.


	56. Chapter 56

5 years later…

Rey blinked in astonishment and glanced at her elegantly attired husband, she couldn't stop herself from stealing glances at him. She'd spent half the evening getting ready for this party only to have her hair and lipstick ruined the moment Ben had set eyes on her. His response to the sight of her in formal-wear had left her starving for more, much more, of his ardent appreciation for her efforts.

Ben was absolutely aware of every time Rey's eyes turned his way - the Force around her would spike and waves of hunger would wash over him. The way she sparkled in a jewel studded silver dress with her hair hanging loose down her back and the hungry way she kept looking at him was making it difficult for him to pay attention to anything else. He wasn't surprised to feel her eyes turn toward him but he was intrigued by the wave of shock that washed over him from her direction.

He broadened his focus beyond the tiny area surrounding the stunningly beautiful distraction that Rey -looking every inch a storybook princess at her first ball- was to him. Several floors above their heads, a radiant energy that could only belong to a Force attuned being was moving around. It was powerful but he could tell that it wasn't nearly as strong in the Force as he and Rey or their children were.

The ratification of the Federalization of Represented Collaborative Equal Powers agreement, which occured less than a year after the destruction of Soul Reaper, had officially marked the birth of the Federation some four years previously. In that time the fledgling Federation had managed to achieve so much peaceful cooperation in the galaxy that Ben and Rey had been able walk away from it all last year.

For that year the entire Solo family had been living aboard a well maintained SoroSuub 5000 that Ben had procured for the purpose of housing and training a new generation of Halcyon. Though the luxury yacht was an older model it provided them with everything they could hope for to allow them to easily raise and train their kids as they searched the galaxy for other Force Beings.

The ship, promptly renamed by Rey to *The Rising Phoenix*, boasted two hangar bays- each capable of comfortably housing up to three large-ish light fighters or one heavily modified YT-1300 and an X-Wing, top notch food replicators- capable of producing enough food for twenty people per meal, plenty of big open spaces - perfect to use for dormitories and teaching rooms, a top notch training area, an entertainment lounge, a play room for the little ones, and multiple luxorious refreshers spread throughout.

Armed with every available scrap of data pertaining to the ancient order, the pair had spent their time aboard *The Rising Phoenix* searching the galaxy for other Force Beings, but that wasn't why they were at this Ball. They'd come here to celebrate the inauguration of their long time friend and ally, Finn, to the *Councel of Ten.*

Finn had been instrumental in helping to bring about the evolution of the First Order's military resources into the new Federalized *Security and Military Assistance Corps.* He had been sworn in just a few hours ago as one of the first ten coequal counselors ever to be elected through a galaxy-spanning vote amongst the representatives of every planet in the Federation.

Rey set her drink down on the tray of a passing server droid and politely excused herself from the group of nattering politicians that were hellbent on topping each other's compliments to the couple on their work in the formation of the Federation. She followed the pulsing Force signature, drawn along by the steady hum of energy.

Ben frowned slightly and excused himself to follow his wife. He lost sight of her in the crowd as he was stopped by several eager beings that wanted to welcome him back to the Capitol. 'Wait there for a minute.' He thought to her, brushing past the varied group of alien representatives.

'It's right above me.' Rey replied, following the strong pull of the unknown Force being's energy.

'I can feel it, give me half a minute, I'll be right there.' He didn't need to ask where she was, he could easily pinpoint her energy signature from anywhere -even from half way across the galaxy.

'Walk faster.' She suggested, not pausing for even a heartbeat.

Ben wove his way quickly through the crowd and briskly made his way to Rey's side just in time to slip into a turbolift with her. "You didn't even bring your staff." He chided gently.

"I don't need it," She shrugged. "I have you, and you have your lightsaber."

The lift doors hissed open, a tall blue eyed boy with wheat colored hair startled visibly at seeing the couple in the elevator.

"Oh, excuse me!" The boy squeaked, gawking at the pair that he recognized as Ben Solo- the founder of the federation, and his wife Rey- the heroine of the Battle of Souls... as the victory over Soul Reaper had come to be called.

Both Solos could easily feel the boy's hero-worship cascading over them through the shivering Force energy surrounding him. They stepped off the lift as the boy turned to flee.

"Wait!" Rey called out, stopping the nervous youngster in his tracks. "We'd like to talk to you."

The skinny blond turned to face them, disbelief and a surge of fear rolling off of him. "Me?" He asked.

"You." Rey smiled gently, trying to put the kid at ease. "What's your name?"

"C-cal." He stammered. Blushing deeply the boy cleared his throat and in a voice crackling with pubescence he tried again. "Cal Shay."

"You know who we are." Ben said.

It wasn't a question but Cal answered as if it were, "Yes, Master Solo."

The strong belief that a Force Being should never use their abilities to wield power over others had been a cornerstone of the Halcyon belief system and would remain so in the new Halcyon Order that Ben, Rey, Ani and Ami Solo were the founding members of. One of the basic tenants of the ancient Halcyon Order had been that nobody, especially a Halcyon, had any right to be another person's Lord or Master.

The once much-abused apprentice -Ben- and the fiercely independant scavanger -Rey- were in complete agreeance with the ancients on that accord.

Ben grimaced, "Ben or Mister Solo will suffice."

"I'm sorry, Buh-... Mister Solo." The boy's nervousness would have been discernible to anyone paying a speck of attention, but it was painfully obvious to the pair of Halcyon.

"What do you know about the Force?" Ben asked tilting his head slightly in curiousity. He'd never learned to put people at ease and didn't bother trying it now.

"The Force?" Cal yelped. His parents had used to tell him all kinds of stories about their childhood hero, Luke Skywalker. Yinu and Cam Shay had told young Cal all about the evil Dark Lord of the Sith -Darth Vader-… and how heroic young Jedi Knight- Luke Skywalker- had saved the galaxy from him.

Both elder Shays had been killed five years ago by the Soul Reaper. Cal had been attending a prestigious boarding school in the Correlian capitol city when his parents had joined in with a convoy of well armed merchant ships for safety on their way through the dangerous area known as the Spice Lanes, to attend the conference with Kylo Ren of the First Order and to visit with their only child.

Cal knew that Kylo Ren had once been a Sith apprentice who had been turned back to the way of the Jedi by Rey Solo. He knew that Ben Solo was once known as Kylo Ren. He knew that the couple standing before him had ultimately been responsible for the victory over the monsters that had murdered his parents. He knew that the current prosperity, so abundant here on Corellia that even a thirteen year old well educated orphan could get a job cleaning refreshers at night for an almost decent wage was entirely due to the couple that was gazing at him in a friendly manner and talking to him like he was somebody they wanted to know.

"Not as much as you do, sir." The toe-headed youngster said with conviction in his crackling voice.

"You're not wrong," Ben conceeded with a wry grin then asked earnestly, "What all can you do?"

Cal gaped at his hero in open astonishment. "I can move things around with my mind." He answered once he finally remembered how to speak. "And I can make people think I'm somebody else." He waved a hand in front of his face and suddenly appeared to be decades older, and half a foot taller than he actually was.

A ripple of shock passed between husband and wife, neither had ever seen or heard of such an ability.

"May we speak with your parents?" Ben's voice was calm and steady despite the surges and spikes of excitement pulsing through the Force surrounding him.

Intense grief emanated from Cal Shay at the mention of his parents. The boy's face returned -sadness written all over it. "Soul Reaper killed them."


	57. Chapter 57

_"The Fleet. There's still time to save the fleet." Rey rushed over to the oculus, concern and joy surging through the Force all around her._

 _Ben stared at Supreme Leader Snoke's broken body, lying in pieces on and around the throne, his mind spinning so fast he could barely grasp a thought. "It's time to let old things die." He said as gently as he could inspite of the adrenaline and power zinging through his nervous system. The past no longer mattered to him. Only the future. Their future together._

 _The Force around Ray wobbled chaotically and Ben's heart lurched painfully in his chest. He could feel her joy die a swift and painful death as it turned to shock. "Snoke," he looked at her then and turned to walk her way as he continued to speak. "Skywalker, the Sith, The Jedi, the rebels... Let it all die." He crossed about half the distance between them and came to a halt. As calmly as he could manage with his chaotic emotions fighting to take control of him, he said, "Rey, I want you to join me."_

 _He extended his hand toward her, "We can rule together and bring a new **order** to the galaxy."_

 _The Force around Rey began to pulse like a fast-beating heart. He'd always been able to feel her emotions but never anywhere near this intensely. He couldn't tell if it was just her or if it was a combination of both of them feeling so strongly that was causing the powerful echo of agonizing disappointment to grow between them with each reverberation._

 _"Don't do this, Ben." She said in a soft voice that was drowning in sadness, "Don't go this way."_

 _His guts clenched as pulses of pain, anxiety, doubt, disappointment and anger fluttered through him. How could she even consider not joining him after what they'd promised each other? After everything they'd gone through to get to this point? After risking both their lives by showing up here? His heart twinged painfully and he began to wonder if she'd truly meant it when she'd sworn that he wasn't alone, if all of this had been just a ruse to save her outlaw friends. He couldn't bear the thought of it._

 _"No! No, you're still **holding on!"** his desperation saturated the rapidly rising volume of his voice. "Let go!"_

 _A surge of fear mixed with pain washed over him through the force surrounding her. He grasped at his runaway thoughts and emotions with every bit of his strength and wrestled them back under control as he blurted out the only thing he could think of that might help. "Do you want to know the truth about your parents?" He'd been flooded by memories he hadn't even known he'd forgotten when their hands had touched a few hours ago. He had spent most of the time afterward, up until she'd popped out of hyperspace in the Millenium Falcon, examining those memories._

 _"Or have you always known?" Ben had learned from that flood of memories, among other things, that he'd physically been there when his uncle Luke had bought her from her parents for a handfull of coins._

 _He felt a twinge in the Force around her and knew the truth instantly. "You've just hidden it away."_

 _He could feel her emotions more strongly with every step as he approached her slowly, trying not to scare her. Her pain, confusion, and fear pulsed over him stronger and stronger with each step as he closed more of the distance between them. "Say it." He knew she knew the truth and could sense that she needed to admit it to herself. "Say it." He coaxed._

 _Tears poured down her face and pain swirled through the Force squeezing them both in it's harsh grip. "They were nobody." She said in a fragile, tear-clogged, voice._

 _He could feel how much it hurt her to admit that and her pain only increased his disdain for the couple who had never deserved her. "They were filthy junk traders who sold you off for drinking money." He said dismissively. They were nothing to her, nothing but a ghost of a fantasy. A fantasy that needed to die._

 _She'd never mattered to those old sots, she'd never mattered to anyone like she did to him. He had to make her see that it didn't matter who her parents had been. What she had grown up as. All that mattered was who she was now. Who she was to him. "They're dead, in a pauper's grave in the Jakku desert."_

 _He was bewildered by her pain as it washed over him. How could she hurt for those people? He wondered. Couldn't she see that they didn't matter?_

 _"You have no place in this story, you come from nothing, you're nothing." He shook his head, still in shock about those facts though none of them mattered to him in the slightest. "But not to me."_

 _She hadn't come here because of any naive dream of fulfilling some stupid legacy or because she believed the galaxy owed her some sort of mystic destiny. The choice to come here and fight for him had been a choice she'd made from her heart. A choice made through the strength and courage of her feelings and convictions. It was a choice she'd made for herself and that's all that mattered to him._

 _Her watery eyes locked with his and he felt her bitter disappointment fade away as it was replaced with an utterly confusing and devistatingly intense jumble of longing, fear, loneliness, pain, hope, need, anger and doubt that pulsed brightly through the Force surrounding her as their souls tugged toward each other fiercely. "Join me." He implored, offering her not just his hand but also his heart and soul for a second time._

 _She hessitated. Ben could feel how much she wanted to reach for him as well as how much she didn't trust him._

 _He inched forward, his whole being begging her to believe in him enough to reach out a tiny bit and accept his outstretched hand. Her doubt, pain, and fear were a suffocating haze that swirled all around and through him as he pleaded with the Force to let her take one more chance on him. "Please." He begged, his voice breaking over that word like the violent echoing waves of doubt and fear that were crashing against his battered heart._

 _Rey glanced down at his hand then looked up into his eyes. Her hand raised slowly from her side and crept toward his. Her pain, fear and doubt disappeared as courage and resolve flooded through her._

 _His heart leapt into his throat trapping his breath behind it as her fingers inched toward his. Hope as bright as a supernova sprang to life inside his soul. A scant few inches was all that separated them from a future where neither would ever spend another moment feeling alone, discarded, unwanted, or unloved._

 _Her jaw clamped down and her fingers straightened forcefully as she jerked the long-forgotten lightsaber out of his slack-fingered grip. On pure instinct he grabbed for it, and the silvery hilt halted between them even as his brain registered the fact that she intended to use it against him. He pulled as hard as he could manage in spite of his pain and shock, desperate to keep the lightsaber away from her._

 _The Force between them was a boiling cauldron of conflicting emotions. His desperation warred with her resolve and his fear with her determination as they both poured everything they had into the effort to win the weapon upon their lives were depending._

 _Ben knew that this tug of war could end in only one of two ways: either she would win and kill him, because he absolutely refused to cross blades with her, or he'd win and get one last chance to flat out promise her anything and beg her to stay._

 _The Force heaved between them, shoving them apart as the kyber at the heart of Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber cracked deep within it's core. Rey roared and redoubled her efforts, forcing him to do the same._

 _At the very limit of his capabilities the realization that with her unwaivering determination to kill him, she was absolutely and emphatically rejecting his feelings for her as well her own for him. He knew then, without a doubt, that there was nothing he could say to change her mind... like everyone else he'd ever loved, she had turned away from him._

 _Ben's heart shattered into a million pieces, his soul screamed in agony as a brief flash of blindingly bright light exploded between them and everything went black._

Both Ben and Rey jerked awake in the darkness, the same scream trapped in both of their throats.

They looked at each other, their eyes as huge as dinner plates. The room lights grew to a dim gloom that allowed them to see clearly but didn't hurt their eyes. It had been nearly seven years since that event, and almost six since either had dreamt of it.

"Did you just…?" Ben paused to drag in a bracing breath as his lungs slowly began to relax.

"Did you...?" Rey was panting, shaking, devistated.

Ben rubbed a hand over his painfully racing heart. "I was inside your head."

"I was in yours!" She gasped. "I'm so sorry! I had no idea!"

"I know." He groaned, pulling her into his shaking arms. "When I was inside you just now, I could feel how little you were picking up from me. I was so stupid! I didn't have a clue that you couldn't feel me the way I could feel you. I'm so sorry! I should have just came out and told you that I worshipped and adored you and would have given you anything if you'd have just agreed to stay and be with me!"

Rey climbed to her knees, took his face into her hands and said earnestly, "I should have trusted you! I should have known," she kissed him lightly on the lips, "that it doesn't matter what I call you, you're still the other half of me. I should have had faith in you."

"You would have if I could have found the words and the courage to let you know how I felt!" He rasped as they held each other, both sobbing and peppering each other's faces with kisses.

"Why is it that everytime I walk in on you two you're doing something that I _really_ don't want to see?" The couple jumped apart to gape at Luke Skywalker as he rolled his eyes at them. Rey jerked the sheet up to her neck, covering her low-cut nightgown with a blush rising on her face as the dead Jedi's pulsing blue glow lit up the whole room.


	58. Chapter 58

"Stop walking in on us and we'll all be free of that problem." Ben said irritably as the Force around him began to churn with dark energy.

Luke looked slightly abashed. "Should I knock stuff over before I visit from now on?"

"Or you could just leave and not come back." Ben still hadn't quite found it in him to forgive his uncle for trying to murder him in his sleep… or all the suffering that came afterwards. He knew that he never would and suspected that he never could.

"No dice, kid." Luke shook his head. "We need to talk."

"We have nothing to talk about." Ben scoffed.

"We have too much to talk about, but that can wait." Luke waved his hand dismissively. "Right now we need to talk about teaching people to use the Force."

Ben glared at his uncle, incredulous at Luke's audacity. "You think you have the right to talk to ime/i about being a teacher?"

"Look, kid, I know I'm not the one you want to listen to, but I iam/i the one you need to listen to about this..." Luke paused to glanced between Ben and Rey. "You found an orphan boy today that you intend to teach..."

"That's none of iyour/i business." Ben said hotly.

Luke's posture, face and tone changed, his voice became pleading as he locked eyes with his nephew. "Don't make the same mistakes with him that I made with you."

"No worries there," Ben sneered. "I don't invade people's minds or try to kill them while they're sleeping." Not even in his darkest times had he ever considered doing something that low... as far as Ben had always been concerned - even your worst enemies deserved that small measure of respect.

Luke grimaced, looking deeply into his nephew's eyes he said with a lifetime of regrets in his voice, "Ben, if I had trusted in the Force and let it guide me I'd have been there for you when you needed me. I'd have been able to help you fight the darkness that was rising inside of you. I wasn't there for you, I failed you…"

It was obvious to all three of them that Luke wanted to say more but he sighed and let it go with a shake of his head before glancing between the couple then around at the luxurious room.

"You have everything you need right here to live your lives, raise your growing family, and show them the galaxy that you helped shape." He paused to glance at each of them. "Trust the Force like you trust each other and it will continue to guide you to the ones you are meant to find."

"I didn't realize until after…" Luke's eyes were swimming in unshed tears, "that I couldn't build the future with my eyes on the past." He admitted dropping his head in shame. "I neglected my duties to you... to both of you."

Luke looked at Rey. "Consider this lesson number three." He told her.

"Instead of being there for you, nurturing and supporting you, I was too wrapped up in my own selfish desires. I made you feel like you weren't enough. That was my greatest failure, Ben." Luke said ragedly. "Learn from it." He pleaded. "These aren't just your students… they're your children - your family- be there for them and never put them second to anything."

Ben could do nothing but stare at his uncle as he quickly faded away.

"Mummy! Daddy!" Two excited little voices jerked Rey and Ben from the restless sleep they'd barely fallen into after hours of communing over Luke's visit.

Raven haired Ani launched herself at her father, who caught her in a gentle hand of Force energy with an indulgent smile. "There is a strange boy on the ship!" The little girl declared as Ben plucked her out of the air and settled her on the middle of the bed.

"It's true!" Ami puffed, climbing onto the foot of the bed and crawling up between her parents to sit next to her twin, "I saw him too!" She flopped down and smiled. "He has hair like mine."

"I saw him too!" Rey teased.

Both little girls gazed up at her in wonder. "You did?" Ami gasped. "Is he an angel?"

Ani supplied, "He looks like an angel from our stories... he's even got blue eyes!"

"Who came up with this theory?" Rey grinned at her daughters, then squinted at Ani. "I bet it was you."

Ani rolled her eyes and dutifully kissed her mum on the cheek. "He looks like an angel." She insisted.

"Well, he is a very nice boy." Rey climbed out of bed and helped them both to the floor. She ushered them out the door saying, "Who's probably as hungry as the rest of us! Go get dressed for breakfast."

"I'm so sorry, Cal." Rey said, ushering him along with the rest of her family towards the dining room. "Apparently Uncle Chewie let a certain set of twins we all know and love stay up past their bedtimes…" she squeezed her daughter's hands.

"It wasn't Chewie's fault, mummy." Ani said solemnly.

"No?" Rey asked, helping her little girl into her seat at the large dining table that they all clustered around one end of.

"No," she dropped her voice into a carrying whisper that only little kids can manage. "Ami gave him the eyes and I asked him sweetly with a hug around the neck and everything!"

An image of ravenhaired little Ani climbing onto Chewie's lap and wrapping her arms around his neck while sweetly requesting to stay up an extra hour flashed through Ben and Rey's thoughts.

"So, you ganged up on Chewie?" Ben failed terribly at hiding a grin.

Both girls nodded sadly. "We're sorry daddy!"

"Don't be mad at Chewie, ok?" Ami said, her teary, deep-brown eyes huge in her tiny elfin face.

Rey had to supress a grimace. Her fairhaired daughter had definitely inherited her father's penchant for drama, and his puppy-dog eyes. Poor Chewie hadn't stood a chance against such an assault of utter adorableness. "How could we be mad at somebody for loving you like we do?" Rey smiled and took her seat.

Ben introduced Cal Shay to his daughters and them to Cal.

"Be careful of these two," Rey warned. "And never underestimate a pair of pretty dark eyes, they're liable to talk you into anything."

Cal smiled, the sheer joy for living shared by the four Solos around him washed over him like a tidalwave, welcoming him even as it enveloped him. He'd never felt anything like it, none of his family had been Force sensitive, their natural energies a dim comparison to the brightly pulsing force signatures radiating from the people around him.

Cal had never felt so at home.

The realization twisted painfully at his heart and he dropped his fork on his plate and fled the dining area as quickly as his legs would carry him, sucumbing to tears before he'd even reached the corridor.

Ben and Rey shared a concerned thought, then excused themselves, admonishing their girls to behave. They caught up to him at the doorway to the room they had put him in the night before.

"Please, don't run away from your pain." Rey stroked the boy's hair gently. "It's a reflection of how much you care and that's not something to be ashamed of."

Cal turned, tears glistening on his pale cheeks. "I miss my family." He said in a tearclogged voice. "But I felt more at home just now than I ever did with them." He dashed at his eyes. "I can feel how you're feeling… all of you… it's… it's…" he gave up, helpless to finish the senetence.

"It's because we're like you." Ben said gently, stepping forward to clap Cal on one boney shoulder. "And you're like us..."


	59. Chapter 59

Rise Of The Halcyon. Chapter 59.

Rey ran her finger through the thick dust covering the top of the Aaronian computer terminal. It had been moldering in storage since just after the birth of the twins. She frowned, hoping it would still be functional, but doubting that it would be.

Their studies had had to be put on hold after the twins came, there just plain hadn't been time to study ancient history while raising a set of twins and establishing a new galactic order. After a lifetime of emotional deprivation Rey had found her bliss in her family and she clung to them so tightly that she had barely left her daughter's presence for longer than an hour or two at a time since they'd been born. She couldn't bear to be away from them any more than she could bear to be away from her husband... but at least with Ben she could be inside his mind even when she wasn't in his presence.

The urge to dive back into researching the ancient, extinct, order of Force weilders known as Halcyon had been a constant tension inside of her since Luke's late night visit nearly two weeks ago. She knelt down and opened a small compartment on the R2 sized unit. It only took a glanced inside to find the tiny boxes that held her and Ben's visual interface lenses. She pulled hers out and placed the discs into her eyes then powered up the computer.

A quiet hum filled the air and a smell like ozone wafted up from the machine as it powered on. Rey sighed in relief when the terminal quickly displayed the list of translated manuscripts she had been studying before the birth of her daughters.

A tingle shot outward from her spine and she grinned as Ben loomed up in front of her.

He smiled.

'Just about to break for lunch.' His grin stayed in place as he told her. 'Cal is teaching us how to change our appearance.' His eyes shined with pride. 'Ani can already change her hair color.'

Rey stood and her grin shifted to a brilliant smile. "I thought the plan was for _us_ to teach _him_ about the Force?"

'We are, but that's no reason to stop learning all we can, where we can.' He looked away from her and his lips moved as he said, "Great job Ami!" His smile was completely smitten. "Let's go show mama what you girls learned today and then have some lunch, ok?"

"Meet you in the hall." She blew him a kiss and withdrew from the connection.

* * *

"Are you ready mummy?" Ani's elfin face was lit up with excitement.

"Oh yes, show me!" Rey grinned at her daughters across the table.

The twins exchanged a grin and waved their hands infront of their faces.

"That's brilliant!" Rey clapped her hands and exclaimed when their hair colors switched heads then asked in mock horror, "How am I supposed to know who's who from now on?"

Ami rolled her eyes and pulled a face, "You're our mummy, you _have_ to know that." She sassed.

"Yes, mummy, you have to know that!" Ben teased then winked at his wife.

'I bet they fool you before they do me.' Rey thought to him.

'Stakes?' He leered subtly.

She sent him a mental picture that almost made him choke on his bite of toasted cheese sandwich.

'You're on!' He thought hungrily.

Though the stakes of verbal bets were always the same, a kiss, their own private bets were rarely so innocent.

 _I bet_ was a game that had quickly evolved into a family-wide phenomenon a little over a year ago, when Rey had overheard her not-quite four year olds talking while they colored a doodle of a pair of porgs that Ben had drawn for them.

* * *

"Mine is prettier!" Ani said when she'd finished messily coloring her pink porg's feet bright blue.

"Nuh-uh." Ami replied. "Mine looks realer!"

"So!" Ani said dismissively. "Mine looks prettier!"

"Mummy!" Ami had turned to Rey then, "Tell her mine is better."

"I bet she says yours is ugly!" Ani said in a loud carrying whisper.

"Well," Rey said, squatting down by her girls and wrapping an arm around each. "You lose that bet." She ruffled Ani's jet black hair. "They are both beautiful!" She kissed both crowns. "Just like you two!" Then in a slightly scolding tone she told Ani, "but that was a mean thing to sat, you should apologize to Ami for being rude and give her a kiss on the cheek."

The girls had made a game of it that had them betting on everything for days, it had been so heartmeltingly adorable that from then on, everytime someone said the words, "I bet," the loser had to kiss the winner's cheek. "I bet" had quickly become common words in the Solo household.

* * *

"Girls," Rey raised a brow at her husband and smirked. "I bet you can't trick daddy into getting you mixed up."

"Oh!" Ben grabbed his chest and shaking his head with a rueful grin he playfully accused, "That's a dirty trick."

"No such thing." She grinned and flashed her eyes at him in a way that was part challenge, part dare and part promise…

"Daddy can't change his hair!" Ami informed her mother. "We learned how faster than he did!"

Ben gave his golden haired daughter an exasperated look, "I bet I can." He smiled and waved his hand in front of his face. His hair faded to the exact blend of golds and silvers as his youngest daughter's.

"Oh!" Ami clapped and jumped out of her seat to fling herself at her dad and kissed his cheek with a resounding, and slightly sticky, "mwah!"

"You look like me now daddy!" She grinned happily and kissed his cheek again.

Ben clasped his baby girl to him briefly before setting her back on her feet with a besotted smile and a gentle admonition to finish her lunch.

He looked around the table, turning to Cal Shay last.

Cal was a quiet sort, preferring to observe rather than engage. Ben could understand that, he'd spent a fair portion of his life observing without engaging unless forced to do so. It was, he knew, a defensive mechinism to cope with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy.

"Cal," Ben said after staring at the boy for a moment. "No matter what anybody tells you, the only important things in life are the people you choose to share your life with... we're glad that you chose to share yours with us."

Cal gawked at Ben for a moment then glanced at Rey, who was smiling at him, and the twins who were also smiling. He didn't quite know what to say to that. "Uhm…" he blushed and mumbled. "Thank you."

"After your tutoring session, what do you say you and I go play in the simcaps for a while before supper?" Ben offered.

Cal's pale blue eyes shot open wide and his face lit up, "Really?" He squeaked. "You're going to teach me to fly?"

"You're big enough to reach the controls, you're old enough to understand how they work, so, yeah, I'm going to teach you to fly." Ben smiled.

Cal's happiness and excitement were a bright pulse in the Force around him that every member of the Solo family could sense.

"He's so happy!" Ami giggled.

Ani adminished her twin, "It's rude to laugh at people!"

"I'm not laughing at him!" Ami pouted. "Mummy, Ani's being mean to me."

Rey rolled her eyes. 'Here we go again.' She thought to Ben who just sipped his caf and sat back to watch the inevitable drama unfold.


	60. Chapter 60

Rey debated with herself about starting over at the first tome, after the five year hiatus in her studying, or moving on to the next.

She had a fairly decent grasp of what she had read already, she figured, and her curiousity had been reignited when she discovered that the next text to be read was the one Ko'da had recommended she save for last among the Halcyon Histories. iThe Fall of the Halcyon Order/i had been written by Je'di himself, and Rey was anxious to read it.

But, on the other hand, it had been five years and she only vaguely recalled what the histories had actually said.

'Just read whatever feels right to you.' Ben advised while guiding Cal through a field of oncoming TIE fighters in a sim based loosely on the Battle of Souls.

'I think maybe we understand them well enough.' Rey thought. 'But I know it took so long to read the previous four tomes that I don't want to waste all that time again before finding out what went wrong.'

'You can always crossreference as you read the new book.' He thought casually as he blew up a pair of TIEs that were on Cal's tail in the sim.

Wordlessly she agreed with that and tapped a spot in the air in front of her to open the final Halcyon tome. It took her only two paragraphs to understand that this book was in fact a diary, not a history... the diary of Je'di, the founder of the Jedi Order who had been a Halcyon. She wondered briefly how the Aaronians had acquired such an intimate piece of Je'di's life.

Rey whiled away several hours reading entry after entry, it started off with basically reports about daily activities, meditations, visions… but by the fourtieth entry Rey noticed a shift in the tone of the writing. Je'di began to add his personal feelings about the things he was experiencing, not just what he did or saw, but how he felt as well.

Rey frowned.

Je'di was clearly unhappy at his fellow Halcyons for refusing to stand up against a tyrranical new ruler who had pulled off a nearly bloodless coup within the galactic government.

As his frustrations had grown, so too had his determination to end the new dictator's brutal regime.

Rey almost felt as if she were inside Je'di's mind as his writing shifted to disturbing snippets of hateful rhetoric aimed at the new Emperor.

She could almost feel his mind unravelling as she read of his increasingly desperate attempts to get the Halcyon Order to come to the aid of a galaxy suffering under the greed and excess of a leader who cared nothing for anything but his own pleasures and enrichment.

Her heart twinged while reading his obviously pained entries detailing a great famine that claimed millions of lives on a daily basis. It hadn't been a famine caused by lack of resources, but instead by massive taxes on anything edible or drinkable… apparently the new Emperor had literally taxed half the galaxy into starvation.

Chills broke out on Rey's skin as entry after entry descended into ever more heinous and murderous thoughts toward the Emperor. It occured to her that she was reading the Darkside's seduction of Je'di.

She was stunned by that realization so much that she had to break off from reading to ponder that.

'The Jedi Order was founded by a Darksider?' Ben's voice crept into her mind.

'I'm not yet halfway through, but… it appears that he may have become unbalanced by his hatred for this new ruler.' She thought while her mind whirled with questions about the implications of that fact.

'Well, you can read more about that after the kids are down.' He suggested. 'It's almost time for Rada to finish up their tutoring for the day.'

Rada was the name of the Twi'lek governess they'd hired to help with the girls after the pair had learned to walk. She had been a primary education teacher on her home planet, and both Rey and Ben had been thrilled to hire the softspoken pale lilac woman to teach their children basic skills like reading and math in addition to her role as assistant caregiver to the rambunctious twins.

'Meet you in the dining room.' She thought, tapping the air in front of her to shut down the terminal before removing her data viewers. She had a few minutes left before supper-time so she headed for the refresher.

The steaming water felt wonderful to her aching muscles. She hated sitting still for long, it always left her sore and tired.

Rey felt him before Ben even entered their quarters. She smiled as he slipped into her mind completely.

'That feels amazing.' He thought tiredly. 'Care for some company?'

'We only have about ten minutes, so…' She trailed off into a memory of the one time they ever showered together without making love.

'Ten minutes is doable.' he sounded less tired. 'Especially after what you did to me at lunch.'

She giggled out loud as he strode into the room stark naked and fully aroused.

"You get naked faster than anybody." She teased as he stepped into the hot spray and wrapped his arms around her.

"I have a damned good reason to." He teased back, lifting her off the floor and sliding into her the moment her legs wrapped around his waist.

Cal Shay was much more animated at supper, his bright blue eyes sparkling with excitement, a flush riding high on his cheeks as he recounted his afternoon in the simcap to Rey.

"…and then his ship blew up!" He grinned, finishing his tale.

"You blew Ben up?" Rey looked impressed as she glanced between her husband and their ward.

"Yeah!" Cal declared triumphantly. "He didn't even see it coming!"

Ben sucked his bottom lip between his teeth to supress a grin. 'It was right as you were getting into the shower.'

"Then it was time for dinner!" Cal said and took a big bite of roasted meat. "I'm gonna do it again tomorrow!"

In the weeks he'd been with them he'd been quiet and reserved, this was the first time Rey had seen the boy so happy and excited. "Well, good luck with that!" She grinned, happy to see him so excited.

"Mmm," Ben hummed then swallowed his bite. "Not tomorrow, we have to make a stop that'll take most of the day."

"We do?" Rey frowned.

"Yep." Ben said, then sipped from the steaming mug in front of his plate before continuing. "We need to speak to Ko'da..."

"We're days from Aaronia." Her frown deepened.

"Which is why we need to pick up a few things for the trip…" He eyed her pointedly.

"Oh!" She caught on. "Yes, now that you mention it, I'm running low on… cosmetics."

Ben looked at her incredulously. 'You could have at least mentioned something you actually use.' He tried very hard not to grin but failed miserably.

'I panicked!' She thought, blushing slightly.

He shook his head with a quiet chuckle while a torrent of gooey soft adoration went zinging through the Force surrounding him.


	61. Chapter 61

Rey glanced around furtively as she and Ben approached the entry to the huge stone castle that still bore scars from the attack that had leveled much of it seven years ago. Her nervousness rolled off of her in waves so thick the Ben took her hand and squeezed gently to reassure her.

'It'll be ok.' He thought into her mind.

She took a deep breath, praying to the Force that nobody recognized them and that Maz Kanata didn't call them out as she had Han all those years ago.

The cloaked and hooded pair stepped into the bustling cantina, looking just as suspicious as everyone else there. Hardly a head turned toward them but they could both feel dozens of pairs of eyes on them as they wound their way through the press of bodies - to the bar.

"Where's Maz." Ben laid a golden credit on the scarred bartop.

The bartender, a hugely fat creature with an ugly scarred up face and zero respect spat on credit.

Rey looked at the golden disc covered in spittle and felt a little queazy.

Ben added a heaping handful of credits, covering the spit covered one in a small mound of gold. "I need to see Maz." He said and Rey could feel him attempting to influence the barkeep's mind.

"Get lost." The ugly alien growled. "Maz has no time for the likes of you, murderous scum."

'He knows who we are.' Rey's fear was palpable. If the bartender knew them, how many others had recognized them?

"You will tell me where to find her." Ben said in a tone that was clearly a threat even as he tried to influence the being's mind again.

"Your tricks are useless against me, boy." The bartender said dismissively.

Ben's lightsaber sprang to life with a snap-hiss, it's blade inches from the fat creature's throat. "Last chance." He said darkly. "Where is Maz?"

Rey turned to eyeball the crowd, all of whom were now staring at she and Ben with open hostility.

Without a concious thought involved her staff leapt into her hand and ignited. She shrugged out of her cloak and stepped behind her husband, her eyes hard as she surveyed the hostile crowd. 'Why did you do that?' She yelped into his mind.

"Attending a funeral." The barkeep answered begrudgingly. "On Canto Bight."

Ben didn't extinguish his blade, and neither did Rey as the pair cautiously made their way to the door. The crowd parted ahead of them, a hundred sets of eyes glued to their every move as they rotated, in perfect harmony, to keep every being in the room within their sights. Neither breathed easy until their shuttle was out of Takodona's atmosphere.

"Remind me to never go back there." Ben said, releasing a relieved burst of air.

"If you suggest it, I'll be sure to knock some sense into you." She promised.

He chuckled.

"So, Canto Bight?" Rey asked.

"Yeah." He frowned. "It's gonna take most of the day just to get there."

"Well," She shrugged. "I guess that means Cal is going to get the chance to shoot at you again today."

"I bet he never comes close." Ben grinned over at her.

"Stakes?" She asked imperiously.

He sent her an image that made her toes curl and her pulse double it's speed.

"And if I win?" She teased.

He gave her a sideways glance.

"Remember, Rada," Ani whispered as the shuttle carrying her parents came through the maglock into the port hangar bay. "Don't say our names!"

"I know, I know." The Twi'lek woman rolled her eyes. "It's a bet, no spoiling it."

Ani beamed at her governess before reminding her sister, "Dont squeal, I never do that!"

"Shush." Ami warned as the ramp opened. "They're coming."

Rey and Ben each caught a twin as they hurled themselves at their parents.

"Mummy!" The raven haired twin hugged Rey tightly. "I missed you!"

"I was only gone for an hour." Rey laughed and squeezed her daughter tightly.

"Daddy," The blond twin hugged Ben, smacking his cheek with a moist little-girl kiss. "Ani was mean to me!"

Ben repressed a grin. "Oh, really?"

Rey narrowed her eyes at the twin in her arms. "You promised to be nice while we were gone."

Ben's face broke into a huge grin.

"I was, mummy!" The little one protested.

"Ani…" Rey began but then broke off when Ben burst out laughing.

'I win.' He thought, sending her the same image she had used to establish the stakes of their bet from the previous day.

Rey's brows shot toward her hairline. 'Huh?'

"Good job, ladies." Ben hugged his armfull of preciousness then reached over and planted a kiss on the other one's forehead. "You fooled mummy."

Rey glanced between her daughters a few times, clearly uncertain.

Giggling the twins waved their hands in front of their faces and their hair colors changed places.

Rey shook her head, chuckling. "You got me." She admitted then kissed each girl on the cheek.

'Is it too early for bedtime?' Ben teased, though it wasn't even lunch time yet.


	62. Chapter 62

"You've got a lot of nerve showing up here, Solo." Maz's tiny frame shook with anger.

Rey stepped between the ancient alien and her husband. "He's paid for what he's done." She said fiercely.

Maz looked at Rey and adjusted the lenses covering her eyes. "I see you've found what you were looking for." She mused then looked at Ben and readjusted her lenses. "As have you."

"Fine." She shrugged. "What do you need so badly that you had to chase me down from halfway across the galaxy?"

"Information." Ben said.

Maz rolled her eyes. "I didn't expect you chased me down for brunch."

Rey glanced at Ben then said to Maz, "What do you know about the Halcyon?"

Maz's hugely rounded eyes snapped to Rey and the tiny being went stock still for a long moment. "What do *you* know about the Halcyon?"

Rey hessitated for only a moment.

"They were nuetral Force users, neither Jedi nor Sith. They had a strict belief that Force sensitives should never get involved in the power structure of politics." She said.

"That's all true…" Maz said thoughtfully. "But irrelevant."

"We know that the most powerful one of them all became disenfranchised with nuetrality and created his own order…" Ben spoke up. "The Jedi Order."

Maz looked at Ben and cocked her head to the side but remained silent.

"We know that at the time he created the Jedi Order, Je'di was desperate to stop a despotic ruler from creating a centralized galactic empire." He said.

Maz spoke then, derision in her tone. "A despot?" She shook her head. "Maybe to Je'di... but to everyone else, including history, Chancellor Loriath was a hero."

Ben gaped. "Loriath?"

Rey frowned. She had no idea who that was but a gnawing feeling at the edge of her conciousness made the name seem vaguely familiar. "Who?"

Ben turned his stunned face her way. "The first High Chancellor of the Old Republic."

Maz watched the pair closely for a moment then spoke in a lowered voice, "Come, there is much I need to tell you."

The couple followed the tiny alien through the garish streets of Canto Bight to her shuttle. Once aboard, Maz began to speak in a hushed tone.

"I have lived a long time. I've seen hundreds of generations come and go. But the birth of the Old Republic happened in my grandmother's youth, not mine." She said in an almost hollow voice. "My grandmother was a wise woman. Many sought her advice. Many... including a young Halcyon apprentice known as Je'di." She paused to study them both for a moment.

"Je'di had a knack, some might even call it a gift, for predicting the future." She stated cooly. "My grandmother always referred to it as his burden."

"Why?" Rey frowned. She had had futuresight occurences before and had made a near fatal mistake because of it.

Maz looked deeply into Rey's eyes. "If you had known beforehand that Kylo Ren would not be turned by your arrival aboard the Supremacy would you have went?"

Rey gaped at Maz. "How do you know about that?"

Maz looked at her blankly for a moment. "That is not important." She waved a hand dismissively. "If you had seen the actual outcome of your arrival aboard that ship, would you have went?"

"I would have." Rey said confidently.

"Even if you saw that by not going you could have saved all those who died on Crayt?" Maz pressed.

Rey frowned.

"Je'di was so good at predicting the future because he could see the outcome of his own decisions as he made them." Seeing that they didn't understand, Maz reworded her explination. "He could manipulate the future by deciding for or against an action and seeing the changes those decisions made, not just to his future but to all futures."

"So he knew that creating the Jedi Order would cause the rise of the Sith?" Ben asked, clearly perturbed.

"The Jedi Order?" Maz scoffed. "He didn't create the Jedi Order."

"But… aren't they named after him?" Rey was clearly confused.

"Are bounty hunters so called because their profession was founded by a man named 'Bounty?'" Maz asked with an almost imperceptible eyeroll.

"No." Rey blushed.

"No." Maz agreed. "The original Jedi Order was a group of five powerful Halcyon who were tasked to hunt down Je'di." She shook her head. "As if they ever stood a chance of catching the most powerful future seer of all time."

"They never caught him?" Rey frowned.

"During a hundred years of searching they never even got close." Maz shook her head.

"A hundred years?" Ben frowned. "How long did he live?"

Maz looked at him long and hard.

"Nobody knows for certain." She shrugged. "He disappeared without a trace shortly after his failed attempt to assassinate Loriath."

"The Coruscant Coup?" Ben asked though he knew what the answer would be.

Maz nodded.

"What species was he?" Ben queried as a chilling thought entered his mind.

"Unknown." Maz shook her head. "My grandmother had some theories about that, but he never said and she never asked."

"What were her theories?" Rey leaned toward the tiny alien eager to hear her answer.

"They're all laid out in her journals," Maz eyed the pair silently for a moment.

"Can we see them?" Rey's heart was pounding in anticipation.

"I no longer possess them." Maz replied evenly.

Rey's disappointment was palpable, but Ben eyed Maz knowingly. "Who does?"

Maz smiled tightly. "My daughter."


	63. Chapter 63

"Your daughter?" Rey frowned. It had never occured to her that Maz may have a family.

'She's way over a thousand years old, of course she has a family.' She chided herself.

Maz looked quizzically at Rey for a moment before answering. "Jessi rarely stays in one place for long, if you're going to find her I suggest you speak to her daughter Kina, on Tallos."

"Which port on Tallos?" Ben asked, frowning.

Maz shook her head. "Kina has too much of her mother in her to stay in any port for long… but she does visit Yarlo every few months. I suggest you start there."

Rey groaned inwardly. 'Why is nothing ever simple?'

Ben smirked at her briefly then thanked Maz for her help before the pair returned to their ship to consider all that they had learned and discuss their next moves.

"Maz sent you here." It wasn't a question. The tiny alien glared up at the two humans. "To find my mother."

Rey and Ben exchanged a glance and a thought.

"Oh, don't be so shocked." Kina scoffed. "You aren't the first humans Maz has sent to me for help locating Jessi." She shook her head and sighed heavily then waved them forward and turned around to weave her way through the boisterous crowd in the waterfront dive. "Come on then."

Tallos is a world with very little landmass and vast oceans full of underwater mountains that are incredibly rich in gems and precious metals. Kina is a rugged little being that makes her living through deepsea mining. Rey can't help but be fascinated by the waterworld and the beings that live on it.

Kina leads the Solos across a snarled maze of piers and docks until they finally reach dry land. "My place is up in the mountains, I hope you have strong stomaches."

"Why would we need strong stomaches?" Rey asked, slightly confused and thoroughly curious.

"Because I'm done floating for the season." Kina says in a warning tone. "My feet are on dry land, and they aren't leaving it again until the windy season ends out at my mine."

Ben caught sight of an odd contraption up ahead that Kina seemed to be walking towards. The thing was big, black, rusty and sitting on the ground… on massive, man sized wheels. He frowned as the tiny alien climbed nimbly up the side of the unusual conveyance. "Do you mean to use that thing for traveling?" He asked incredulously.

Now a foot higher than Ben's black crowned head, Kina glared down at him. "Before you insult my truck let me give you a friendly piece of advice…Don't."

'And I thought the Falcon was a hunk of junk.' He thought to Rey, who bit her lip to keep from smiling.

"Knock it off." Kina scowled, startling both Solos. "And get in, unless you intend to wait for me to come back… in two months."

Rey and Ben scrambled up the rolling monstrosity and settled themselves into the cramped cabin with Kina.

Rey's curiousity could barely wait long enough to strap in before she asked, "What exactly did you want us to 'knock off'?"

Kina slid Rey a sideways look through narrowed eyes and slapped her palm against a smooth black panel in the middle of the steering wheel, causing the engine to roar to life. "If you have something to say, use your mouths, I make it a rule to avoid people who communicate telepathically. They aren't trustworthy."

Both humans gaped in open astonishment.

Ben recovered first just as the truck lurched forward from it's parking space. "Are you Force sensitive?"

Kina made a disgusted sound and shot him a withering glare. "You've seen the galaxy, thousands of species, billions of stars, landed on hundreds of planets and yet you know nothing outside of your own limited interests."

Ben was too intrigued to feel the sting of her sharp insult. "If you aren't using the Force, then how do you know that we were speaking telepathically?"

Kina ignored the question completely as she wove through the crowded streets of Yarlo screaming colorful insults through the open window at pedestrians and other drivers who dared use the clogged roadway.

Once the port city fell away behind them Ben repeted his question.

Kina clamped her jaw sullenly for a moment then asked, "What do you know about my people?"

"You live for a very long time." Ben answered, a shrug in his voice though he remained still.

"And…?"

"I met Maz once as a kid, and again a week ago." Ben said dismissively. "You're the second of your kind I've ever met."

"So… you know nothing of my people." Kina surmised.

"Are you saying your people can hear other people's telepathic communications?" Rey frowned.

Kina rolled her eyes. "This is why I tend to avoid mixing with your kind."

The Force began to boil around Ben, Rey took his hand and squeezed it firmly.

Kina looked at the pair with newfound curiousity as the storm of frustrated anger abated from the Force inside the truck.

"I can't hear your thoughts, I can feel you exchanging them." Kina finally admitted. "It's similar to how you feel the Force, but unlike you I cannot command the Force."

"You've tried." Ben stated, picking up on the sadness underlying the curiousity, fear and frustration emanating from the tiny woman.

Kina didn't bother to respond.

"What else can you do that is similar to what we can do?" His voice had a tone reminiscent of a student asking a teacher a question about something he found interesting.

"That's none of your business." Kina snapped.

"Can you feel the emotions of people who are nearby?" He pressed.

Kina didn't answer, but a shiver in the Force around her was as certain a confirmation as a verbal one.

Rey was as intrigued as her husband by that shiver. "Is that how Maz knew that I was desperate to find a sense of belonging?" She asked.

Kina ground her teeth but didn't respond. She didn't have to, the spikes of indignation in the Force around her answered for her.

"Why doesn't the Force around Maz provide as much information as it does around you?" Rey asked, fascinated.

"Maz is old, I'm not." Kina shrugged. "She's better at keeping her thoughts and feelings to herself."

The rutted track they were jostling over began to climb the side of a huge mountain who's summit was hidden in dense clouds.

"How old are you?" Ben frowned.

"I was born the same year Palpatine became Chancellor of the Galactic Senate." Kina said flatly.

"And how old is Maz?" Rey queried.

Kina snorted. "Who knows? She wont say... at least five millenia, though, since my mother is over four-thousand years old."

Ben frowned deeply. "How old can your people live to be?"

Kina said dismissively, "Most live well past ten millenia... some live twice that long."

A deep furrow formed between Ben's brows as a wave of uneasiness washed outwardly from him. "Twenty thousand years?"

Kina shrugged again, "It's as rare as normal humans living to be a hundred, but it does happen."

"So, there are still some of your kind alive who may have witnessed the fall of the Halcyon Order and the birth of the Jedi and Sith religions?" Ben's frown softened into a thoughtful expression.

"Doubtful, but possible." Kina said nonchalantly.

"Are there beings that live longer than your kind?" Rey asked.

Kina didn't answer for a moment, chewing her lip she stared through the mud spattered windshield and guided the truck at breakneck speed up the winding mountain road.

"Are there?" Ben asked after a few moments, a gleam of sneaking suspicion in his eyes.


	64. Chapter 64

Kina shook her head but did not speak a denial, choosing instead to change the subject. "Every once in a while the Force reminds us all of how important and yet insignifigant we are... take you two, for example." She glanced at them. "You are imbued with all the powers of the gods of a thousand systems, yet, before my life is over, nobody will even remember your names, perhaps not even me." She grimaced. "But for now, the Force has plans for you."

"To restore Balance." Rey nodded, hanging on Kina's every word.

Kina snorted and shot Rey an amused look. "What is balance? Death and Life in equal measure? All life dies… eventually... Why would the Force need your help with that?"

Rey looked abashed.

Ben, however, contemplated the question silently for several long minutes before responding. "When we opened ourselves to each other completely, something happened. Something that felt monumental. Like our souls being knitted together... as if we share one soul and it was meant to be in one body."

Kina looked surprised. "Then what?" She asked, turning a sharp curve in the road to reveal a massive glass and steel structure that looked fully capable of housing a dozen large families. Breaks squealing the truck shuddered to a stop just shy of impacting the corner of the imposing building.

"Then we started glowing." Ben answered, not the slightest bit impressed by the enormous mansion that had Rey gaping like the bumpkin she was.

"Interesting." Kina said, sounding not even slightly interested as she ambled down from the cab.

"This is your home?" Rey blinked down at the tiny woman.

"Only during the windy season." Kina replied leading them inside. "Well, and the stormy season."

Kina paused and took a deep breath of the stale air inside. "There's nothing like the feeling of coming home after two seasons away."

"You live here alone?" Rey eyed the dustshrouds that leant a creepy feeling to everything around them.

"I like my space." Kina replied succinctly.

Rey watched the tiny being as she industriously set about removing the shrouds to reveal a collection of finely crafted furnishings that were not much larger than the twin's play furniture. She was suddenly struck with a mental image of Ben sitting uncomfortabley on the tiny sofa with his knees up around his chin and had to fight the urge to giggle out loud.

To distract herself from that urge she turned the subject back to the topic she was most curious about. "What does the Force want, if not balance?"

"How should I know?" Kina said dismissively. "My life is here, on or under the sea, if you want to know about the Force you should ask my mother... She'll be here soon."

Two sets of shocked eyes snapped to Kina but ot was Rey who spoke. "She's coming here?"

"Of course, she always drops by at the start of the windy season." Kina said with a shrug. "You'll stay here as long as you need."

Ben glanced around at the tiny furnishings doubtfully.

Kina rolled her eyes. "Come on, I'll show you to the guest wing."

"We'd rather stay on our ship while we wait." Rey said hessitantly. "With our family."

Kina looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "They can stay here too." She said. "I don't know exactly when mother will arrive, it could be today or it could be weeks from now."

"Weeks?" Ben frowned. "Can't you let her know we're waiting for her?"

"I could." Kina said. "But then how would I have the time to observe you and figure out if you're worth her time?"

Neither human had an answer for that.

"You'll stay here." Kina said firmly.

A few days passed before a message arrived via the holonet that Jessi would be arriving within the week. Kina shared the news at dinner.

"She specifically requested that you be here to meet her, Chewbacca." Kina grinned at the wookiee. "She's curious about the man who stole Maz's heart."

Chewie looked rather uncomfortable and purred out a short sentence denying his worthiness to possess any such thing.

"Nonsense." Kina waved her tiny fork dismissively. "Maz would have known you weren't good enough for her in an instant if it were true."

Rey smiled at Chewie with real affection while the furry giant lowered his head to hide his embarrassment.

Ben reached over to rub Chewie's shoulder. "You should head back to Takodona when we're through here." He said, not at all teasingly. "You could use a little womanly affection in your life."

Chewie glared at him then barked a few rough sounds.

"Well, nobody should be alone forever." Rey said sincerely. "But it's your choice. I'm sure she'll still be around and happy to have you when you're ready to settle down."

Kina shook her head at Chewbacca's reply, "Leave him alone." She told the pair. "He's right, Maz wouldn't want him settled down. His unpredictable wild nature is the thing she likes about him most."

"Uncle Chewie has a girlfriend." Ani informed Cal in her loud whisper. "But they can't get married because he's afraid of her."

Chewie protested loudly.

"Yes you are." Ami testified on her sister's behalf. "We heard you tell daddy you were afraid of what might happen if you hurt her or she got angry."

Ani nodded at her sister and said, "We were hiding in the control panel cuz we stole some sweeties from Darra when you two were talking about Maz. We heard everything."

Rey gave her daughters a stern look. "When was this?"

"When we went to Takodona." Ami said guilelessly.

"You stole Darra's candy and eavesdropped on your dad and Chewie from inside the control panel of our ship?" Rey asked, carefully keeping her voice nuetral.

"It was Ani's idea." Ami said, catching onto the fact that they had just confessed to a major crime in their mother's eyes.

Ani looked at her sister, betrayal written all over her face. "You little womprat! You promised not to tell!"

The tranquil dining room fell into chaos as the younger Solo's tempers flared causing them both to be sent to bed early without any dessert.


	65. Chapter 65

Jessi Kanata surprized everyone by showing up the next morning during breakfast. She strolled into the dining room, hopped into a chair and plucked up a slice of toasted bread, as if she'd been there all along, showing no curiousity toward the motley crew of the Solo clan all gathered around her daughter's guest table.

"Good morning." She said, chewing a small bite of the crunchy bread.

"Good morning." Rey mumbled around a bite of eggs big enough to puff out her cheeks.

"Mummy!" Ami admonished. "No see-food!"

Blushing, Rey chewed and swallowed quickly. "Sorry."

Jessi smiled at the child then turned her focus to Ben. "So, you're Han's boy? You don't look like him."

"He looks like his mother." Rey injected.

Ben squinted at her but remained silent.

"You don't like talking about Han." Jessi stated.

"I murdered him, so, yeah, I'm not exactly thrilled to talk about him with strangers." Ben said, carefully keeping his voice neutral.

Jessi stared at Ben for a moment. "I already knew that, but I didn't expect you to so openly admit it." She said thoughtfully.

"What did you expect me to say?" Ben asked, more as a challenge than out of curiousity.

Jessi took a bite of her toast and chewed slowly while staring at Ben. "That doesn't matter, now." She said finally after swallowing her bite. "You said what I needed to hear. After breakfast we'll talk, you and I."

Ben glanced at Rey. Jessi noticed. "And your wife."

Jessi turned to Chewie. "It's been a long time, Chewbacca."

Chewie responded affirmatively.

"I'm surprized that you've taken up with the man who killed your friend." She said.

Chewie bark-growled a few words.

Jessi shrugged. "We'll see if he is or isn't."

She turned her attention next to the boy sitting beside Chewbacca. "Who are you?"

Cal choked on a sip of pink juice then turned bright red as his coughs drew every eye in the room.

"That's Cal, he's our brother now." Ani piped in while Cal fought to get his coughing under control.

Jessi turned her eyes to the black haired twin. "I commend you for wanting to be helpful, but it's impolite to answer for people who are capable of answering for themselves." She said in a tone that was neither ungentle nor unkind, yet firm all the same, then turned her attention back to Cal. "So, boy," she said when he'd finally recovered himself. "Who are you?"

"I'm their student." He pointed toward Ben and Rey.

Jessi turned to Rey, "Watch out for this one." She advised. "He doesn't yet know he is."

Cal scowled at the little woman. "I'm Cal Shay, son of Yinu and Cam Shay, of the planet Uralia, who were murdered by Soul Reaper and avenged by Ben and Rey Solo - my teachers and benefactors." He said, summoning all of the haughty superiority of the son of a planetary monarch. "And they have no need to watch out for me, I would never betray them!"

Jessi smiled. "That's better."

She looked back to Ben. "You have a fierce young friend there." She said then nodded as if deciding something very important. "He does you a great credit with his obvious esteem for you."

Reaching into her breast pocket she pulled out a tiny disc and flipped it toward Ben.

Ben caught the disc and glanced at it then looked back to Jessi. "Is this…?"

Jessi nodded and replied, "Transcripts of the two-thousand, two-hundred, twelve journal entries that have anything to do with Je'di."

Ben's breathless excitement was nearly palpable to everyone at the table including Chewbacca - who was definitely not Force sensitive in anyway.

"You will not be able to find any other records to corroberate most of what you read there, but I've read every word of every page of Qela's journals and I can assure you that every word is the truth, exactly as she saw it." Jessi added then promptly hopped down from the table. "I'm finished with breakfast." She announced then strolled out of the room without saying another word or glancing at Ben and Rey.

Ben and Rey glanced at each other then hopped up to follow Jessi, apologizing hastily to the other diners.

The pair followed Jessi Kanata to the smallish library tucked away behind the dining room. Once seated Jessi began to speak.

"I'm not going to tell you everything that is on that disc, but I do need to warn you about a few things you'll find there." She said sadly then took a deep breath.

"My ancestor, Qe'la Qantami was a great person. Very noble, very honorable." She said as if someone might disagree with that assessment. "She was powerful in the Force and for many generations of your kind she lived as a Halcyon historian."

Jessi's eyes went distant and her voice hollow, "Until she fell in love with the most respected Halcyon monk who had ever lived."

Her eyes darted to Ben. "Je'di." Then to Rey, "And Je'di fell in love with her."

"Halcyon weren't allowed to love?" Rey frowned. That's not what she'd read in the books she'd stolen.

"They were… they were even encouraged to love." Jessi corrected. "But love wasn't enough for them." She sighed. "They wanted more."

"More?" Ben frowned.

"They wanted to bind themselves heart and soul." She answered. "For all time."

Rey glanced at Ben who glanced at her, both wearing identical looks. "They tried to bridge their own minds, didn't they?" Rey asked.

"They failed." Jessi said sadly. "Qe'la lost touch with the Force… she could sense it, but she could no longer connect with it…just like every one of her decendants "

Ben and Rey exchanged another glance. 'Then Snoke did bridge our minds… in an attempt to disconnect me from the Force.' Rey spoke into Ben's mind.

'Or me.' Ben agreed.

"Je'di became unbalanced by the guilt of what had happened to her. He had been the one to suggest they do it… and when she could no longer bear his pain, guilt, and sadness she left him." Jessi shook her head slightly. "She loved him, but she couldn't bear to be around him."

"What did he do?" Ben asked, some deep part of him desperate to know.

"He threw himself into his work." Jessi shrugged. "Like everyone else with a broken heart and important job. He tried to purge himself of his darker impulses, he blamed them for the failure that had cost him the love of his life."

"Was this before or after the birth of the Old Republic?" Rey asked.

"Before." Jessi answered confidently. "Decades before."

"How can you be so sure?" Ben asked.

"Because, he killed her during the Coruscant Coup." Jessi answered.

Rey gasped, Ben reeled, Jessi continued. "Her daughter was my daughter's age when Qe'la was killed… she took up writing the Histories after her mother had fallen. Je'di never knew he had a child with Qe'la. He never knew that our bloodlines will mix with anything… he thought that because they weren't the same species, Qe'la's child belonged to someone else."

Jessi felt it prudent to explain, "Only by mating with a male of our own species can we produce male offspring, all cross species children are female."

"Female, but still purely…." Rey hessitated unsure what to call Jessi's species. "Your species?"

"Yes." Jessi replied. "Cross species mating has no effect on our genetic make up, only our gender."

"What species was Je'di?" Ben asked.

"A very rare human-like species known at the time as Te'ki's'no'ke." Jessi grimaced over the name. "They are extinct now."

"Extinct?" Ben frowned.

"The last one died a few years ago." Jessi said pointedly.

"When?" Ben asked breathlessly.

"When you sliced him in half." Jessi answered.


	66. Chapter 66

"How…?" Ben looked perplexed.

"I have my sources." Jessi said evasively.

"But nobody knows that…" Rey was frowning mightily. "The official story…"

Jessi cut her off, "After four millenia of observing your species, I'm pretty good at knowing a lie when I hear one." Jessi shrugged her tiny shoulder then looked at Ben. "And you lie worse than most people, Ben Solo. Your eyes give you away instantly. So I dug a little deeper, which reminds me..." she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small datacube. "A gift, for you."

Ben caught the cube easily and asked, "What is it?"

"The security footage from Snoke's portion of the ship for the hour surrounding Rey's arrival and departure." She said. "I had one of my contacts liberate it from the wreckage during the confusion."

"I've wondered where that disappeared to. I always assumed Hux had stashed it away for future extortion." Ben frowned down at the crystal cube.

"He probably would have if my associate hadn't bern on duty in the monitoring center at the time it all occured." She said. "We were already actively communicating when the ship was destroyed."

"Did you make copies?" He asked though by his tone it was clear that he assumed she had.

"No." She said baldly. "When I saw what was on it I knew right away that you would be the one to fix the disaster that your grandfather created when he turned away from the light. I've only been holding onto it for safe keeping."

"Palpatine…" Ben began to protest.

"Tricked Anakin into becoming his apprentice because he could not dominate the galaxy by himself. He wasn't strong enough and he knew it. But Anakin… Anakin was far more powerful than any being before or since him, excluding you two. Anakin could have dominated the galaxy on his own, without resorting to super weapons and massive fleets... If he had chosen to." Jessi interjected, cutting Ben's protest off. "If Anakin had killed Palpatine, instead of joining him, the galaxy would be a far different place today and neither of you would exist."

"You knew Anakin Skywalker." Rey said with a touch of wonder in her voice.

"I did." Jessi confirmed. "Before his fall from grace... he was a good man. A very heroic figure... and a sight to behold!" She grinned in a way that made Rey smile.

"He was handsome?" She asked.

"Incredibly." Jessi winked. "Blond hair, blue eyes, jaw carved from marble, cheekbones that could cut glass… mmm."

Rey couldn't help smiling even more broadly at Ben's sudden discomfort.

"Anyway, I need a nap. It was nice meeting you both." Jessi said, her eyes snapping back into focus. "Best of luck with your endeavors."

The Solos made their way back to their own home, aboard the Rising Phoenix, before lunch - leaving the Kanata's to share their traditional windy season mother/daughter time in peace.

Once everyone was settled in and fed the Phoenix set off for Aaronia with all due haste, eager to see if Ko'da's people could be of any further assistance with the matter of Je'di's true history.

Ko'da welcomed them back after their long absence with real enthusiasm and graciousness then lead them back down to the data center below the temple.

"Indeed we do have texts pertaining to Qe'la." He assured them as the lift doors opened into the bright white room. "We did not see any link between Qe'la and your texts, so we did not assume one."

"Was Je'di never mentioned in connection with her in these texts?" Rey asked.

"It is possible that Je'di was mentioned, but since these texts are about Qe'la specifically, we did not assume them to be important to your research." Ko'da said apologetically.

Ben cut into the conversation to ask, "Are these texts about Qe'la from before or after she lost her ability to command the Force?"

Ko'da turned startled eyes to Ben. "We were previously unaware that Qe'la had ever had such an ability to lose."

"After, then." Rey said looking suddenly excited. "She may mention Je'di at some point."

"You seek additional information about Je'di?" Ko'da asked, mildly intrigued. "We have more texts penned by him. They did not seem Germain to the history of the Halcyon and Jedi, so we did not include them. We will make you a gift of them as well."

Rey frowned deeply and reread the paragraph for a third time. She swallowed hard and sat back against her pillow mountain, her enormously pregnant belly providing a handy arm rest as she contemplated what she had just repetedly read.

In the past three quarters of a year she and Ben had read a lot of shocking truths in the files provided to them by Maz's daughter and by Ko'da but nothing had prepared her for what she had just learned.

Her whirling thoughts were nearly chaotic enough to make her miss the very moment Ben's mind slipped into hers and fused them together as completely and harmoniously as if they were a single conciousness.

He didn't need to think any words or ask any questions, not when they were connected like this. Out of habit, he did so anyway, 'I'm almost there, sweetheart.'

And so did she, 'Hurry, please.'

The loud hiss of the opening door announced his arrival a heartbeat later.

He rushed over to kneel next to her and took her hand. "Your thoughts are too chaotic, I can't get a grip on any of them for long enough to register what it's about." He rubbed her icy hand between both of his much larger and much much warmer ones.

Rey blinked owlishly as she turned her head to look at her husband. "It was all a lie."

Ben's brows shot up as his eyes opened wide while she directed her thoughts into a coherent assemblage that implanted thousands of years of history into Ben's mind in a blink. His mouth dropped open and he reeled as his head swam and the color drained from his already pale face.

"Snoke…" Ben croaked the name through lips suddenly parched.

"Je'di…" Rey gasped at the same time.

They looked at each other wearing identically thunderstruck expressions.

"No wonder he wanted me," Ben mused, "enough to overlook you."

Rey looked at him in horror.

Ben shook his head slightly and hissed, "Potential of my bloodline."

Rey closed her mouth with an audible snap. "How is that even possible?"

"Which part?" Ben asked with a sardonic almost grin.

Her forehead became a mass of wrinkles. "Start with Je'di being Snoke's grandfather and go through until you get to the part where he is also Anakin Skywalker's grandfather."

"Je'di fathered a female child with Maz's grandmother. Maz's mother. She then mated with a male of her own species, a male child was born that cross-species fathered Shmi Skywalker."

"So… Je'di is your… great-great-great grandfather?" She asked, unsure of how many greats actually belonged in that relationship.

"And Maz is his granddaughter… my great-great grandfather's sister."

"So, she's your great-great aunt?"

"It would seem so." He shrugged.

"And where does Snoke come in?"

"He was Shmi's half-brother... so technically he was Je'di's great grandson." He said slowly as his mind unraveled the mystery.

"So, the Force only prevents females in Qe'la's line from commanding it." Rey mused.

Ben frowned. "My mother had almost no concious command of the Force… but the Force around her was incredibly strong."

"I felt that about her." Rey nodded absently. "I often wondered why she never learned from Luke."

Ben slid her a sideways glance. "She tried." He said. "But she quit when she was pregnant with me. She said she could barely lift a pebble after half a year of training, so she decided to be a great mother instead of a great jedi."

Rey had never asked him about Leia, a part of her didn't want to know, but she finally asked the question she'd been ignoring all these years. "Was she? A great mother?"

Ben considered for a moment before answering, "She was a great politician. A great leader. A great fighter. She was formidible. And busy." He said diplomatically then took a deep breath. "But at home, when it was just me and her…" a grin tugged at his lips. "She was the greatest mom a kid could ask for." He rubbed a hand over the mound that housed their yet-to-be-born twin sons. "Present company excluded."

She laid her hand over his on her stomach. "Thank you."

A few moments passed in silence before Rey said, "Should we just keep it to ourselves?"

Ben frowned. "What?"

"The fact that your family is responsible for a thousand generations worth of turmoil in the galaxy… all because of a broken heart."

"There was a bit more to it than that." He said dryly.

"Yeah, but that was the base cause, the reason that both the Jedi and Sith closed themselves off from love."

He pondered that a moment.

"Well, if a broken heart is what caused the rift between the light and dark… if that's what caused the rise of the Jedi and Sith religions… then I think it's safe to assume that rift has been healed for good." He said thoughtfully.

"What makes you think that?"

"When you chose to keep me rather than kill me you *unbroke* my heart." He stroked her cheek gently.

"That feeling of having our souls fused together…" he trailed off.

"It was the healing of the rift in the Force." She finished for him.

"It is time for the Jedi and Sith to both die." He said solemnly. "Time for the Halcyon to rise."

Rey rubbed a hand over her swollen belly. "Starting here and now." She agreed as her unborn sons wriggled against her hand enthusiastically. "With us and ours... if your family caused all this, then our family will end it."

"We already have." He said, gathering her into his arms and kissing all thoughts of everything but himself from her mind.

THE END.


End file.
